Doubt this will have anything to do with shortwave, but may be of
interest to those who scan near these bases.

Via Mike Height:

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.

Well,
There you go again, man your going to get us in trouble and get us
kicked off the list.

The US Southern Command has been transferred to Ft. Sam and HQ will be the
old BAMC complex. There IS training taking place at the post in the medical
field. Camp Bullis is maintained for field problems. Other commands
include the Academy for Health Sciences, among others.
"N8KDV" wrote in message
...
Doubt this will have anything to do with shortwave, but may be of
interest to those who scan near these bases.

Via Mike Height:

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.

Burr wrote:

Well,
There you go again, man your going to get us in trouble and get us
kicked off the list.

It'll be fun. Trust me Cousin!

- What Base Closures ??

Havent a clue as to what this is about;
- So fill me in here
&
- maybe I can get kicked off too !
( Just Like Hight School...! ! ! )

Dan



In article , N8KDV
writes:


Burr wrote:

Well,
There you go again, man your going to get us in trouble and get us
kicked off the list.

It'll be fun. Trust me Cousin!

Diverd4777 wrote:

- What Base Closures ??

Havent a clue as to what this is about;
- So fill me in here
&
- maybe I can get kicked off too !
( Just Like Hight School...! ! ! )

Dan

Join Cousin Burr and myself as we welcome you to the Grand Opening of
REC.RADIO.SHORTWAVE.SPAMMERS...

Coming soon!

I believe we'll be giving refurbished Sony 2010's away as door prizes.

Someone suggested giving away a ICOM R75 as the GRAND PRIZE, but you know, to me at
least, that wouldn't be to GRAND!

But, we'll come up with something!

N8KDV,

Their Back... brac, Brac. BRAC !

Been Their -&- Had That Done To Me [.]

free at last, Free At Last, FREE AT LAST !

Thanks to BRAC - I Was Made Free At Last ~ RHF
..
..
= = = N8KDV
= = = wrote in message ...
Doubt this will have anything to do with shortwave, but may be of
interest to those who scan near these bases.

Via Mike Height:

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.

What a rare Honor Indeed..
Being kicked out of yet another group..

- "Wouldn't JOIN any club that'd have me as a Member " ( Marx)

and the refurbished Sony 2010's will draw quite a crowd..

Glad to be invited

Dan



In article , N8KDV
writes:



Join Cousin Burr and myself as we welcome you to the Grand Opening of
REC.RADIO.SHORTWAVE.SPAMMERS...

Coming soon!

I believe we'll be giving refurbished Sony 2010's away as door prizes.

Someone suggested giving away a ICOM R75 as the GRAND PRIZE, but you know, to
me at
least, that wouldn't be to GRAND!

But, we'll come up with something!

"Diverd4777" wrote in message
...

What a rare Honor Indeed..
Being kicked out of yet another group..

- "Wouldn't JOIN any club that'd have me as a Member " ( Marx)


Be sure to note that is Groucho Marx, and not Karl.. From
"Horsefeathers", wasn't it??

Dang, too long for me to read Steve. :-(