http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3049140

Pentagon looks to cut U.S. bases

The downsizing may save billions, but could also fuel a political fight


By LIZ SIDOTI
Associated PressR
Feb. 20, 2005E
FeSOURCES

MARCHING ORDERS
• Closing bases:

The Pentagon is seeking to close or consolidate some of its 425 facilities to save as much as $7 billion a year. The yearlong process begins in March.

• The fear: Communities worry closing installations will hurt their economies.

WASHINGTON - Safe for a decade, U.S. military bases face an uncertain future. The Pentagon plans to shut down or scale back some of the 425 facilities, the first such effort to save money in 10 years. The downsizing is part of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's transformation of the Cold War-era military.

The Pentagon chief argues that closing or consolidating stateside facilities could save $7 billion annually and that the money would be better spent improving fighting capabilities amid threats from terrorists.

"The department continues to maintain more military bases and facilities than are needed, consuming and diverting valuable personnel and resources,

" Rumsfeld recently said.Shrinking the domestic network of Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps bases is a certain source of savings.

It also is a high-stakes political fight because it affects local economies in congressional districts.

Lawmakers have resisted efforts to shutter their bases, challenging past base closing rounds."It's the perfect example of good policy and good politics not fitting in the same room together," said Christopher Hellman, an analyst with the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation in Washington.

"Conceptually, lawmakers buy the argument that base closures are to make sure they are spending resources wisely. But they are reticent of closing bases in their cities because of job losses," Hellman said.

Rumsfeld has estimated that extra base capacity is at nearly 25 percent. But Republican lawmakers said the secretary recently told them that the cuts will not be as deep, in part because the military needs a home for 70,000 troops returning from Europe.
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Contributed,
YNCS Don Harribine, USN(ret)