Military Base Closures: Agreement on a 2005 Round (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised Jan. 22, 2003 |
| Report Number |
RL30051 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
David E. Lockwood, Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
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Summary:
Ninety-seven major military bases were recommended for closure and realignment by the 1988,
1991, 1993, and 1995 base realignment and closure (BRAC) commissions. Action on all 451
installations (major and minor) from the first four rounds was completed by the end of FY2001, as
scheduled. The U.S. General Accounting Office has estimated that these closures and realignments
produced net savings of about $16.7 billion as of the end of FY2001 and will continue to produce
an estimated annual recurring savings thereafter of about $6.6 billion.
In mid-1997, Secretary of Defense William Cohen called for two new rounds of base closures
and realignments. He explained that, while four previous rounds had achieved significant savings,
it was important to continue the process of closing underutilized facilities. Despite DOD pressure,
most Members of Congress were reluctant to support authorization of new base closure legislation,
at least for the foreseeable future. The reasons given included, among others, grass-roots opposition
from communities likely to be affected and President Clinton's "intervention" in the 1995 base
closure commission's recommendations regarding McClellan and Kelly air force bases. Of the two
chambers, the House of Representatives expressed the stronger and more united opposition. In the
Senate, proponents of new base closure rounds have attempted to attach amendments to each year's
defense authorization bill since 1997, achieving success only toward the end of 2001.
The principal advocates in Congress for new base closures have been Senator John McCain and
Senator Carl Levin. On February 27, 2001, they introduced legislation ( S. 397 ) to
authorize two new closure rounds in 2003 and 2005. On August 3, 2001, the Secretary of Defense
submitted his own proposal to Congress, calling for one additional round in 2003. On September
6, 2001, the Senate's defense panel incorporated elements of both proposals and passed the measure
by a vote of 17 to 8. Later, in Senate floor debate (September 24, 2001), the Levin/McCain initiative
passed by a margin of 53 to 47.
However, many Members of the House were reluctant to support S. 397 , thus
creating an impasse in the conference phase that delayed final passage of the FY2002 defense
legislation. Finally, on December 12, 2001, the conferees reached a compromise. They agreed to
authorize one new round of base closures in 2005. They also added language that
revised various
aspects of previous base closure law -- the most notable of which, perhaps, will be the enhanced
role and influence of the Secretary of Defense in the base closure selection process. President Bush
signed the defense authorization bill into law ( P.L. 107-107 ) on December 28, 2001.
This report will be updated as warranted.
