Defense Base Closure And Realignment Commission

Covers all military bases within each branch of the armed services. Examines the Commission's findings, discusses current activities at specific bases, and makes recommendations. Considers community concerns about base closures and realignments. Analyzes the history of base closures and the procedures for decision-making. Note: this is the last report by the Commission.

The Defense Secretary's Commission on Base Realignment and Closure was chartered on May 3, 1988 to recommend military installations within the United States, its commonwealths, territories, and possessions for realignment and closure. The Congress and the President subsequently endorsed this approach through legislation that removed some of the previous impediments to successful base-closure actions. This Commission's recommendations for closure and realignment affect 145 installations. Of this number, 86 are to be closed fully, five are to be closed in part, and 54 will experience a change, either an increase or a decrease, as units and activities are relocated. The Commission also makes several additional recommendations that address potential problems in implementing the Commission's closure and realignment recommendations and certain other matters that the Commission has discovered during its review of the military base structure.

Statement of Barry Holman, Dir., Def. Capability & Mgmt., Before the Defense Base Closure & Realign. Comm. The Defense Base Closure & Realign. Act of 1990 authorized a new round of base realign. & closures (BRAC) in 2005, the 5th such round in recent years but the first since 1995. The legislation requires the Sec. of Def. to submit his list of bases recommend. for closure & realign. to an indep. BRAC Comm. by 5/16/05. The Comm. is charged with reviewing these recommend. & submitting its report with recommend. to the Pres. for his acceptance or rejection of them in their entirety by 9/8/05. Subsequently, Congress has final action to accept or reject the recommend. in their entirety. Here is a review & report on the DoD process & recommend. Illus.