Officials: BRAC 2005 to support defense transformation

  • Published
  • By Gerry J. Gilmore
  • American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  The 2005 base realignment and closure initiative will be different from previous rounds in that it will directly contribute to the Department of Defense's transformation efforts, a top official said here Oct. 25.

BRACs conducted between 1988 and 1995 closed 97 military bases and realigned 57, said Raymond DuBois, deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment. Officials today estimate the department still carries about 23 percent excess infrastructure.

The 2005 BRAC will be unique in that besides paring no-longer-needed facilities, it will also support transformation goals. This will make DOD better prepared for combating 21st century threats like terrorism, Mr. DuBois said.

A key component of 2005 BRAC consideration, he said, involves weighing an installation's military value in view of how it contributes to and accommodates joint operations. Joint warfighting has proven to be the coin of the realm when confronting terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq, he said.

In the post-Cold War world, "the U.S. Army must own speed and surprise," Mr. DuBois said, and multiservice cooperation in the transportation field in recent years has greatly leveraged the Army's combat projection power.

Mr. DuBois said the 2005 BRAC is aimed at combining that kind of power, including joint training, at installations that best offer it. Also, he said, duplication can be reduced by merging military research and laboratory facilities.

Any new base closures would take into account the need to maintain a military "surge" capacity to deal with potential future threats, Mr. Dubois said.

Previous BRACs have provided $7 billion in annual savings to the department since 2001, Mr. DuBois said. But, he said, DOD still has $660 billion tied up in property inventory.

The department needs "to free up that kind of investment capital to support our troops in areas where those resources are needed," he said.

"We have a responsibility to provide the people defending our country with the highest quality training, technology, weapons systems, information and resources available," he said.

Final 2005 BRAC recommendations will be presented in the spring.