This week, communities across America are on pins and needles waiting to hear the government’s base closing recommendations for a new round of military realignment.
The so-called Base Realignment and Closure process could have major implications for Colorado. The last time this process took place, a decade ago, the Denver area lost the Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora and Lowry Air Force Base. It was a dramatic loss of jobs, but the subsequent transformation of those sites into productive, even visionary, civilian uses now stands as a positive example to communities that worry about the grim reaper.
This time the betting is that Colorado is more likely to gain than lose military personnel. The process requires Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to announce by May 16 which military facilities he recommends for closure or realignment. Many observers expect the announcement this week.
Rumsfeld’s recommendations will go to a base-closing commission, which will develop a final list. The president can approve or reject this list, but there are no political trade-offs – he cannot change it. If the president approves, the list goes to Congress, which must approve or reject the whole list but, here again, no horse-trading.
Officials estimate 10 percent to 12.5 percent of all domestic bases, representing 42 to 53 facilities, might be shuttered.
The closures are needed in the post-Cold War environment to eliminate unnecessary redundancies and streamline military spending and operations. Colorado’s eight major military facilities may escape the worst cuts. Fort Carson’s large and modern training facilities mean the Army post near Colorado Springs could benefit from unit consolidation and gain thousands of additional troops. Two other Army facilities, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal and the Pueblo Chemical Weapons Depot, are cleanup or disposal projects whose transitional work must be completed in any case.
U.S. Air Force bases in Colorado play vital roles, but the Pentagon will determine if the missions might be consolidated. It’s highly improbable that NORAD or the U.S. Air Force Academy, both near Colorado Springs, would be closed. Peterson Air Force Base works closely with Fort Carson, so it gets points for serving multiple needs. Also under consideration are the fates and functions of Buckley and Schiever Air Force bases, in Aurora and Colorado Springs.
Coloradans could support the Pentagon’s efforts to increase efficiency if this round of closures is based on the military’s genuine needs. But if there was ever a government review that must withstand grassroots scrutiny, it is the base closings.
