Department of Defense Releases Base Closure List

WASHINGTON, DC-The US Department of Defense has released its list of military installations that are being recommended for closure or restructuring. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld presented the list to the presidential-appointed independent Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission today.

The department’s BRAC recommendations, if adopted, would close 33 major bases and realign 29 more, and, Rumsfeld noted during a news conference at the Pentagon yesterday, save the military an estimated net sum of $48 billion over the next two decades. When combined with the anticipated savings from overseas basing realignments around the world, the projected net savings increases to $64.2 billion. Those on the list include Fort Monroe, VA; a naval station in Pascagoula, MS; Fort Monmouth, NJ; and Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico. “Our current arrangements, designed for the Cold War, must give way to the new demands of the war against extremism and other evolving 21st Century challenges,” Rumsfeld said today.

Next week, GlobeSt.com will follow-up with articles on local market industry reaction to the closings and realignments.