Military Base Closures: Implementing the 2005 Round (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised June 1, 2005 |
| Report Number |
RL32216 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
David E. Lockwood, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
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Summary:
On November 15, 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced the first steps in
implementing the new 2005 base realignment and closure (BRAC) law. These included
development of a force structure plan, comprehensive inventory of military installations, and
establishment of criteria for selecting bases for closure and realignment.
The Secretary of Defense submitted a report to Congress on March 23, 2004, confirming the
need for a further BRAC round and certifying that an additional round of closures and realignments
would result in annual net savings, over a period ending no later than FY2011.
On May 20, 2004, the House of Representatives voted 259 to 162 to delay base closings until
2007. In response to this action, the White House immediately released a statement declaring that
the Secretary of Defense, and other senior advisers, would urge the President to veto any bill that
"weakened, delayed, or repealed" the current base closure authority.
On October 8, 2004, Senate and the House conferees reached agreement on the National
Defense Authorization Act for FY2005, which included continued support of DOD's authority to
conduct a round of closures and realignments in 2005. Senator John Warner stated that it was
essential to allow DOD to complete its effort to reduce the size of its infrastructure.
On March 15, 2005, the President appointed nine members to serve on the 2005 BRAC
Commission. In doing so, he consulted with leading Members of Congress. In addition, the
President chose Anthony A. Principi to serve as the chairman of the new BRAC Commission.
Once formally in-place, the Commission's next step was to institute a series of local, D.C. area
hearings to collect general information on DOD's force structure needs and goals. It will be followed
later by regional hearings at locations throughout the country. At least one commissioner will be
required to visit each base on DOD's designated list.
On May 13, 2005, the Pentagon announced that it would close 33 major U.S. military bases and
realign 29 others -- in a move to consolidate forces and save almost $50 billion over 20 years. The
overall number of existing U.S. major bases, according to DOD, is 318. In addition, 775 smaller
facilities are expected to be closed or realigned.
This report will be updated as needed.
