[Scan-DC] Base Closures

[Rapbep@aol.com]

All,

Sorry for the confusion.  Evidently my AOL doesn't like attachments, etc and 
didn't include it in the original e-mail.  So here it is via the good old cut &
 paste.

RON
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD (NEAR BWI)
Pro-2045/BC-895XLT w/Discone



U.S. Army base closure list 

The Army has done the worst job at closing excess bases, only closing one of 
its 30 largest bases in the four previous rounds - Fort Ord, Calif. 
It just trimmed its World War II system of depots and arsenals, which have 
massive excess capacity. The Army claims that it must maintain room in case 
units are brought back from overseas. However, the Army has plenty of room in the 
United States for its seven brigades based overseas; and has no intention of 
withdrawing them anyway. Meanwhile, the Army spends billions of dollars a year 
to maintain excess bases and civilian employees. 
Ideally, the Army will return to its traditional role of defending the United 
States and re-deploy combat units to the Mexican border, a mission it 
abandoned after World War II. An infantry division can guard remote areas and detain 
anyone seen crossing the border illegally. By shifting a few units during the 
2005 round, the Army can easily accommodate a brigade at Fort Bliss, Texas, 
one at Fort Huachuca, and a third at Yuma Proving Grounds in Arizona. 
This list may seem long, but it includes no major bases, no training areas, 
and will affect none of the Army's combat brigades. It closes a third of the 
arsenals/depots and a few small "ivory tower" posts. 
This will eliminate enough military and civilian positions to man two more 
combat divisions, and save enough money to train and equip them.
Carlisle Barracks, Penn. - A small base with just the Army War College. It 
will be far less costly if the War College moves to Fort Levenworth and shares 
facilities and staff with the Army's Command and Staff College, similar to the 
arrangement of other service war colleges. It could also move to the 
Washington, D.C., area and share resources with one of the DOD colleges. The Carlisle 
campus can immediately become a community or state college. 
Detroit Arsenal, Mich. - This tank factory was shut down in 1999, yet the 
base remains with a huge staff of 128 military and 3,479 civilians personnel in 
Detroit just to support the headquarters of the Army's Tank-Automotive and 
Armaments Command. This command can join its proponents at Fort Knox or to 
Anniston Army Depot were much of the work is actually done. 
Fort Belvoir, Va. - Critics often note there are over 100,000 servicemen in 
the Washington, D.C., area, and not a single combat unit. Housing costs are 
high and traffic gridlock common. This is not place for an army base, which is 
why Belvoir has been downsized, with one-third of the base now a nature 
preserve. The three small commands here may relocate to any Army base. Most of the 
federal activities will continue in place, except the land will revert to Fairfax 
County as the Army sheds the burden of running a base and shuts down support 
activities. Some Army activities may remain as part of the Army's Military 
District of Washington. 
Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico - This small base with more than 2,000 civilian 
employees has little military function whatsoever and can be turned over to the 
National Guard. The naval base and airfield at nearby Roosevelt Roads can 
support any military activity on the island.
Fort McPherson/Gillem, Ga. - McPherson is an old, tiny base in Atlanta which 
is mostly a golf course with three headquarter units.
The Forces Command can co-locate with the new Northern Command in Colorado, 
the Joint Forces command in Norfolk, or Army headquarters in Washington, D.C. 
The 3rd Army Headquarters is unneeded; it can downsize to fewer than a dozen 
soldiers and merge into the Central Command headquarters in Florida. (During the 
1991 Persian Gulf, General Schwartzkopf determined it was much easier for 
CentCom to control Corps directly.) The Reserve Forces command can move anywhere. 
The sub-post called Fort Gillem can be turned over to the National Guard 
while reserve units, MEPS, and the AAFES distribution center remain there. 
Fort Monmouth, N.J. - This base has 552 active duty troops and 5,198 
civilians just to host the Army's Communications and Electronics command. This 
headquarters can relocate with just a few hundred people to Fort Huachuca where 
related testing is performed, or Tobyhanna Depot where related equipment is 
repaired. Fortunately, private sector businesses are eager to develop the prime real 
estate at Monmouth. 
Fort Monroe, Va. - This is a small, historic base which is costly to 
maintain, but could become a luxury resort or a National or State Park. TRADOC can 
move to any other fort in Virginia, or Fort Levenworth where it can rejoin with 
the Forces Command. The ROTC command can move anywhere while the Joint Warfare 
Center can be deactivated with no loss. 
Fort Polk, La. (to realign) - The Army desperately needs a major urban 
warfare training center, and the north half of this base is ideally suited. North 
Fort Polk should be shut down and become a huge urban training area for the 
Joint Readiness Training Center. This will allow brigade size units to arrive by 
sea or at Polk's large airfield to conduct lengthy urban warfare exercises in a 
real city 10 times larger than the quaint artificial villages used today.
This may require some tenant units to move to other Army bases. Perhaps the 
2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment can move elsewhere and a permanent urban ORFOR 
unit established. 
Fort Richardson, Alaska - The Army does not need three bases in Alaska for a 
single brigade, especially since housing and operational costs are the highest 
in the USA. This small base does little except support the Alaskan National 
Guard, so turn it over to the state of Alaska and move the NCO academy and 
airborne battalion up to Fort Wainwright or elsewhere. Adjacent Elmendorf AFB may 
annex some buildings and family housing. 
Fort Sam Houston, Texas - This is a old base in an old run down part of San 
Antonio with no training areas. The new Brooke Army Medical Center located on 
the edge of the base may be transferred to the Air Force or VA. Basic medical 
training can be performed at any Army base. Reserve units can move to Camp 
Bullis 15 miles away where they already train. 
Fort Shafter, Hawaii - The "US Army Pacific" doesn't need its own base with 
1,400 soldiers and 2,000 civilians in expensive Hawaii. It should be eliminated 
or cut down to a dozen soldiers and based within the Pacific Command 
headquarters at Camp Smith. I Corps in Washington state can "command" the few army 
units in the Pacific. 
Lima Army Tank Plant, Mich. - This is run by General Dynamics which does 
similar work at its Sterling Heights Complex in Michigan. 
Tank work is declining and there is no reason for the Army to own a plant 
used by private industry. Sell the plant to General Dynamics if they want it, or 
close it if they prefer to do work elsewhere. The Anniston Army Depot can also 
do future tank upgrades. 
Natick Soldier Center, Mass. - This small facility is located in an expensive 
Boston suburb which is tasked with developing personal equipment for 
soldiers. Better work can be done at a major base where soldiers can help test gear 
and provide direct input; Fort Benning is ideal.
Picatinny Arsenal, N.J. - Very little is done there nowadays. Anniston, 
Aberdeen, Watervliet, and Red River have plenty of excess capacity to fill whatever 
need might arise. One Colonel who worked there stated they could turn out the 
lights and send everyone home tomorrow and the Army wouldn't notice. This 
will allow the base to retain its appropriate mission as a Moth Sanctuary.
Redstone Arsenal, Ala. - This is left over from when the Army was involved in 
the large missile business. The Army turned over that business to NASA, which 
runs the Marshall Space Center there. The Army's Aviation and Missile command 
remained as private contractors took over research and development. This 
command should move to Fort Bliss or White Sands where development and testing 
actually occurs, or to Letterkenny Depot where missiles are repaired. The Army's 
Material Command can move to another arsenal or depot while the missile 
ordnance school can move anywhere. 
Rock Island Arsenal, Ill. - Very little is done here nowadays. Anniston, 
Watervliet, Aberdeen, and Red River have plenty of excess capacity to fill 
whatever need might arise. Most non-Army activities aboard this Arsenal will remain. 
Sierra Army Depot, Calif. - This was mostly shut down since the 1995 BRAC 
declared it excess and environmental clean up began. However, the Army retained 
it to help burn off surplus munitions from the Cold War. Since this produces 
toxic fumes, nearby citizens are furious and want it closed for good. The 
depot's burn mission should be complete by 2005 and Tooele Depot in Utah can burn 
what's left. 
Yuma Proving Grounds, Ariz. - Aberdeen does the most "proving" for the Army, 
while Dugway has newer facilities and a huge test area with special equipment 
to test chemical and bio weapons. The little work done at Yuma can be easily 
done at Dugway, Fort Irwin, White Sands, or elsewhere, as was demonstrated with 
the recent Stryker program.
The test ranges may be preserved as part of nearby MCAS Yuma or transferred 
to the Arizona National Guard, but an active Army base is not needed unless the 
Army puts troops there to help defend the border. 

U.S. Navy base closure List 
The U.S. Navy has done the best job in closing excess base capacity. It has 
shut down two major base complexes: San Francisco Bay and Charleston. However, 
the fleet has shrunk since the 1995 base closing round, so a few medium size 
bases and several small bases can be closed to save a couple billion dollars a 
year in overhead. Current Navy plans are to shrink further, from 313 ships in 
fiscal 2002 down to 291 ships in fiscal 2004. 
Ingleside Naval Station, Texas - This is an underdeveloped base where the 
Navy banished its unwanted mine warfare ships. However, the Navy now acknowledges 
that it is very difficult for combat ships on each coast to train with mine 
warfare ships based in South Texas. Realizing these small, slow ships cannot 
rapidly deploy, the Navy has moved several overseas. In addition, the only large 
ship at Ingleside, the helicopter carrier USS Inchon, was recently 
decommissioned and nothing will take her place. The Navy should move the remaining ships 
to a major base on each coast to join the rest of the fleet. 
Monterey Naval Postgraduate School, Calif. - This is a major hotel complex in 
scenic Monterey which the Navy acquired during World War II and never left.
t is far from Navy bases and exists solely to operate a military 
post-graduate school. This can be done at any major base with none of the overhead costs 
of operating an entire base. However, an article appeared Naval Proceedings in 
2000 which questioned why the Navy runs its own post-graduate school when it's 
much cheaper to send students to the finest graduate schools in the United 
States, which offer the same courses and would provide officers healthy contact 
with outside institutions. 
Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss. - Over the past few years, the Navy and 
Marine Corps have reduced the size of squadrons and will soon eliminate several 
because skyrocketing aircraft prices do not allow all older aircraft to be 
replaced. As a result, they will need to train fewer new aviators each year. NAS 
Meridian is a small aviator training base that was on the 1995 closure list 
because its bad weather limits safe flying days. Unfortunately, Admiral Borda 
succumbed to political pressure from Mississippi congressmen and told the 
commission it was mistakenly put on the list. These training squadrons can move to 
the other three naval aviator training bases, or perhaps the joint/reserve NAS 
Fort Worth in arid Texas. Naval Aircraft Engineering Station Lakehurst, New 
Jersey - This is an old base left over from the era when the Navy developed most 
of its aircraft "in house". The Navy wanted to close this base in 1995, but a 
close commission vote kept it open. Its difficult to determine anything of 
value of done there today. Any important activity can move to the larger naval 
aviation development base at Patuxent River, Md., or the testing center in China 
Lake, Calif. Lakehurst, N.J., is adjacent to Fort Dix and McGuire AFB so the 
problem of local retiree support and civilian job transfers are nonexistent.
Naval Recreation Station Solomons Island, Md. - This is an old unused base 
which evolved into a hidden navy resort. There are thousands of choices for 
private sector recreation in the Washington, D.C., area, the Navy shouldn't spend 
millions of dollars each year to run an exclusive resort at taxpayer expense. 
Money is better spent improving recreational facilities at fleet bases where 
regular sailors can use them daily. 
Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane, Ind. - This is left over from World War 
II when the Navy and Marines once developed their own weapons. This is now done 
in the private sector or at operating bases. Whatever relevant work can be 
found is best done near naval forces and not in a remote spot a thousand miles 
from any ship. 
Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Va. - NAVSEA is an amazing 
large organization with 37 R&D facilities in the United States. It employs an 
army of engineers and scientists, yet awards huge contracts to private 
corporations to design future ships and aircraft. In addition, the Naval Research 
Laboratory has several facilities spread around the country. Since the Navy now 
prefers to outsource its R&D, there is no need to retain this massive in-house 
capability. Dahlgren is tucked away in the middle of Virginia and far from any 
ship. Its traditional mission of munitions testing is very limited due to the 
rapid growth of nearby communities, so most all weapons testing is done at 
China Lake. Important activities and tenants can be merged into bases elsewhere, 
or just eliminated. The Navy has over a dozen "research" facilities in the 
Washington, D.C.,-area and around Virginia which should be consolidated. In the 
September 2002 Naval Proceedings, Rear Admiral Rowland G. Freeman III (ret) 
noted: "focus got lost as the laboratories strove to become more like academic 
campuses [where] ferocious competition for dollars between the laboratories 
downgraded the technical and scientific effort." If the Navy fails to recommend 
some smaller "lab" closures in this region, Dahlgren should be axed to force 
change and save money. 
Navy Supply Corps School, Ga. - a small base in Athens, which is in an odd 
location for the Navy. It can be moved to any base to save money and manpower. 
New Orleans Naval Support Activity, La. - During the 1960s, the Navy and 
Marines banished their reserve commands to decaying buildings at an old Army base 
in downtown New Orleans. These commands will be more effective and less costly 
at major bases where they can support reservists directly and interact with 
active forces.
Pascagoula Naval Station, Miss. - This tiny base has just three old cruisers, 
two old frigates, and few base facilities. It is isolated from the fleet and 
its ships must steam for several days to participate in exercises off the 
Atlantic coast. The Navy can easily accommodate these ships at larger east coast 
bases, but they will be decommissioned within a few years anyway. 
Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, N.H. - The Navy has far more shipyard capacity 
than it needs. Portsmouth was to be included in the 1995 base closure list, but 
President Clinton was said to have exerted inappropriate pressure on the 
commission to spare it since the important New Hampshire presidential primary race 
was underway. Portsmouth only works on attack submarines, work which can be 
done by several underutilized public and private sector shipyards.
Saratoga Springs Naval Support Unit, N.Y. (includes Ballston Spa, Scotia) - 
This small, inland base was overlooked in previous base closure rounds. Nuclear 
power training can be consolidated in Charleston since the number of nuclear 
powered subs has been cut, while the regional recruiting office can move to 
any Navy base along the New England coast. 

U.S. Marine Corps base closure list 
Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Ga. - This Korean war era base is far 
from any major air or seaport, and far from any Marine units. As a result, the 
Corps built a seaport logistics facility at Blount Island near Jacksonville, 
Fla., in the 1980s. Albany should close with its activities moved to Blount 
Island, Camp Lejeune, and Quantico to save money and provide superior support. The 
manpower and money saved should allow the Corps to open a spare parts facility 
at a U.S. Navy base in Italy and another in Bahrain to greatly improve 
support in those regions, and replace its two ageing aviation maintenance support 
ships in Baltimore. 
Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif. (realign) - This World War II 
base is far from any major air or seaport, and far from any Marine units. It is 
actually three bases, the Yerma maintenance and storage area, the main base 
eight miles away at Nebo, and a rifle/pistol range complex. Logistical activities 
can provide superior support at Camp Pendleton or 29 Palms, or if 
forward-based in Guam. However, the desert air is ideal for storage of excess equipment. 
Therefore, the base may "realign" becoming the Yerma Annex of Marine Corps 
Base 29 Palms with a dozen Marines supported by a hundred civilians. This annex 
will be for storage, although some maintenance work may still be done. 
The Nebo complex and rifle range area can transfer to the U.S. Army. Fort 
Irwin is nearby and needs the family housing and some buildings. It is also an 
ideal location for a heavy Army Reserve or National Guard armor unit. The rest 
of Nebo can become an urban warfare training center which Fort Irwin needs as a 
modern National Training Center, which it can share with the Marines. 
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif. - Budget problems caused by 
high-priced aircraft will force the Corps to eliminate over a dozen flying squadrons 
during the next decade.
While Miramar is a beautiful base, it is surrounded by a booming urban area 
whose vocal residents complain about noise, which is why the Navy happily left 
in 1999. It has the highest off-base housing costs of any air station, and 
training is limited by congested civilian air traffic and quiet time for the 
locals. Moreover, San Diego desperately needs a new airport and Miramar is the 
only practical location. Dispersing Miramar aircraft to other Marine Corps and 
Navy Air Stations will save the Corps millions of dollars each year. If such a 
move is considered too costly, the Corps can "sell" Miramar to the city to fund 
new facilities elsewhere. 
Since 10 Marine F/A-18 squadrons are now permanently assigned to Navy carrier 
wings, the Navy has plenty of room at NAS Leemore in central California to 
host Marine F/A-18 squadrons. F/A-18 squadrons can also return to MCAS Kanehoe 
Bay, and two must move to MCAS Iwakuni in Japan if the Corps wishes to maintain 
three squadrons there since the new carrier commitments make squadron 
rotations impractical. The two helicopter training squadrons can move the MCAS New 
River, while others will be disbanded as helicopter shortages caused by the V-22 
program require several deactivations. Remaining squadrons can be squeezed 
into MCAS Camp Pendleton, MCAS Kanehoe Bay, MCAS Yuma, or NAS El Centro. Other 
options are Edwards AFB where two Marine reserve helicopter squadrons are 
based, or build hangers and landing pads at 29 Palms and move a few squadrons 
there. 
Marine Corps Mountain Warfare School, Calif. - This tiny base in the midst of 
a huge national forest was founded during the Korean war to prepare Marines 
for mountain warfare. It was mothballed during the Vietnam war as the Corps 
determined it was no longer needed. For unknown reasons, the base was later 
reoccupied even though the Corps hasn't been involved in mountain warfare since 
Korea. This school absorbs funds and manpower needed for new urban warfare 
facilities elsewhere. Marines can attend U.S. Army or foreign mountain/winter 
warfare schools on occasion, but such training should be a low priority. Marines are 
a rapid reaction force, which always involves urban areas. The rare mission 
of chasing guerrillas or terrorists in mountains should be left to specialized 
Army units. The base should be mothballed and returned to the US Forest 
Service again, or possibly transferred to the California National Guard for urban 
warfare and mountain training for all armed services.
Marine Reserve Support Unit, Kansas City - This is a tiny base with 200 
Marines which somehow ended up in Kansas City. It should move to any Marine base, 
probably co-located with Marine Forces Reserves, which will also move from New 
Orleans.
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, Calif. (realign or close) - This small, 
concrete base is the worst place to train new recruits. The roar from the 
adjacent airport is constant while tourists roam about gawking at recruits and 
taking photos. Training facilities are so limited that recruits must move 40 
miles north to Camp Pendleton for their final three weeks. 
There are three options: 1) move MCRD up to Camp Pendleton; 2) move MCRD to 
Nebo at Barstow (see Barstow above); 3) expand MRCD Parris Island, which 
already has the capacity to double its load, although facilities would need to be 
modernized. The U.S. Air Force trains more airmen recruits each year at one base 
in Texas, and the Navy trains twice as many at a single location. A major war 
would quickly empty most of Camp Pendleton and Camp Lejuene, providing ample 
facilities for another MCRD to support a major war. 
The city of San Diego wants this base to expand its airport. However, if the 
Marine Corps closes MCAS Miramar instead, it may keep "Marine Base San Diego" 
because of its ideal location near the Navy. It could accommodate the Reserve 
Support Unit from Kansas City, reserve headquarters from New Orleans, a small 
Marine Corps Logistics Facility (from Barstow), or any Navy or Marine unit 
which needs space in the San Diego region. Another option would be a small Marine 
Corps Air Facility which uses the runway at adjacent civilian Lindbergh 
field. This could accommodate the VIP aircraft from Miramar and maybe a reserve 
F/A-18 squadron. 

U.S. Air Force base closure list 

The Air Force conducted a 1998 study which concluded it could cut its 
overhead costs in half by consolidating into 20 megabases.
The average Air Force base is less than half the size of a typical Army, Navy 
or Marine Corps base (based on active duty population). As a result, these 
small bases become dysfunctional whenever their operational wing deploys 
overseas because it takes many airmen which the base itself needs, like security 
personnel. 
In addition, the Air Force must eliminate half its fighter and attack 
squadrons in the coming years to afford ultra-expensive F/A-22s and F-35s. The number 
of B-1B bombers was recently cut by one-third, and the number of aerial 
tankers will be cut as some old KC-135s are replaced by larger tankers based on the 
Boeing 767. Finally, fewer aircraft require fewer pilots, so fewer pilot 
training bases are needed. As a result, the Air Force will have twice as much base 
capacity than it needs. Some of this problem is easily solved by closing 
outdated bases overseas, but dozens of smaller domestic bases must also be closed. 
In addition, consolidating Air National Guard squarons into nearby bases of 
any service can yield tremendous savings and improve security. 
The Clinton administration attempted to minimize base closures in 1995, due 
to that President's view that our military is a jobs program. Fortunately, the 
1995 commission closed two of the Air Force's five huge air logistics bases 
despite objections from the Clinton administration and powerful Senators. Most 
all of the bases on this list are recommended for closure simply because they 
are the smallest Air Force bases in the country. In addition, the Air Force 
will move a bomber squadron and at least one tanker squadron to Guam. It may also 
move some flying squadrons to the three large Air Logistics Centers. 
This looks like a big list, but includes no major air force installations and 
doesn't cut even half of what is needed for the 20 mega-base concept. In 
fact, the number of airmen at all bases on this list is fewer than the number of 
soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas. Keep in mind that moving Air Force wings may be 
unnecessary as the Air Force will deactivate several wings in the coming years.

Altus AFB, Oklahoma - A small base whose transport training wing can move to 
a larger base, possibly Tinker. 
Brooks AFB, Texas - A tiny non-flying research base in an old area of San 
Antonio which is virtually shut down. The Air Force wanted to close it in 1995, 
but it was spared because the commission chose to close the large Kelly Air 
Logistics Center nearby. 
Cannon AFB, N.M. - A small base whose fighter wing can move to a larger base, 
or may be deactivated. 
Columbus AFB, Miss. - A tiny base whose training wing can move to a larger 
base with better flying weather. 
Ellsworth AFB, S.D. - A small base whose bomber wing can move to another 
base. Since the Air Force has just cut one-third of its B-1Bs, it may be best to 
deactivate that wing. 
Goodfellow AFB, Texas - A tiny and remote non-flying base used for skills 
training which can move to a larger base. 
Grand Forks AFB, N.D. - A small base whose refueling wing can move to a 
larger base. Tankers from this base require two or more hours of flight time to 
support operations along the coast or overseas deployments. 
Hanscom AFB, Mass. - A small research base with no aircraft. The Air Force 
may continue to fund research with MIT, but there is no need to keep 2000 airmen 
running a "base". Any pure Air Force work can be moved to other underutilized 
Air Force Research labs. 
Kirkland AFB, N.M. - (to realign or close) Special Operations activities will 
move to Hurlburt Field, Florida or perhaps Moody AFB. The base will gain 
other activities or close. 
Los Angeles AFB, Calif. - A small base whose only tenant is the Space and 
Missile Systems Center. However, there are no space facilities or missiles nearby 
because it's located in a crowded and expensive section of Los Angeles 
county, which is why it has been considered for closing in past rounds. This could 
free up virtually miles of prime beachfront real estate as Fort MacArthur base 
only purpose is to maintain affordable housing for LA AFB workers. 
McConnell AFB, Kansas - A small base whose refueling wing can move to a 
larger base. Tankers from this base require two or more hours of flight time to 
support operations along the coast or overseas deployments. 
Nellis AFB, Nev. - (to realign) This is a key medium-size base whose tenant 
units are better off elsewhere. The rapid growth of Las Vegas has encroached 
the airfield causing community conflicts due to noise and demands for connecting 
roads through Nellis. Security is poor since the airfield is close to a major 
road with dozens of aircraft parked outdoors during exercises, while 
thousands of tourists visit the "Thunderbirds". In addition, the federal government 
has restricted growth in Las Vegas because air pollution becomes trapped in that 
valley, while Air Force jets at Nellis spew out tons of pollutants. However, 
this could cut into the much needed 2408 airspace, which is dedicated to test 
flights. As encroachment issues continue unabated, these challenges will 
continue to escalate.
Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C. - (to realign) The F-15 fighter wing can move, 
probably to Eglin, while an active KC-135 tanker wing is added. This base is much 
better located for tanker ops than those in the Mid-West. 
Shaw AFB, S.C. - This is a medium-size base, but the Air Force will cut its 
fighter squadrons in half and something must be shut down. This base may be 
preserved if a fighter wing based overseas returns. 
Vance AFB, Okla. - A tiny base whose training wing can move to another base.




So what's California doing? 
Senate committee to take on military base closures 

On the heels of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's pledge in his State of the State 
address to fight the closure of California military bases, Sen. Roy Ashburn 
(R-Bakersfield) has scheduled a special Senate hearing to aide the governor 
with his commitment to protect California's military installations during the 
2005 round of Base Realignment and Closures. 
The Senate Select Committee on Defense and Aerospace Industry will meet in 
the State Capitol Jan. 21 to highlight the economic and job impact of Department 
of Defense installations on California families and the state as a whole. The 
Committee will also hear from a panel of regional organizations formed to 
fight the closure of local military bases. This panel will update the committee 
on the current risk of closure or downsizing California installations because 
of the recently published DOD criteria that will be used to rank base 
viability. The panel will also be asked to recommend changes to the criteria that would 
improve the selection process and local base rankings. 
Joining Ashburn for this hearing will be former vice commander of Edwards Air 
Force Base, State Sen. Pete Knight (R-Palmdale) who will provide the 
Committee with his insight and advice on military operations and the BRAC process. 
The hearing will conclude with Ashburn combining all the proposed changes to 
the BRAC Selection Criteria into a single document that will be forwarded onto 
the governor and Congressional Delegation for further action in Washington, 
D.C.








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