Military Base Closures

Historically, the United States military built bases in preparation for war and national defense, but defense cutbacks after a war's completion often resulted in the closure of surplus facilities. Major base closures began in earnest when the military sought to reduce its overhead after World War II by eliminating portions of its base infrastructure. However, politicians consistently resisted closure efforts in fear of voter retribution and economic decay. In an effort to prevent closure, politicians reassigned missions, funded “pork-barrel” construction projects, and used questionable data analysis. The military has attempted to lessen the social and economic strain of base closures through conversion and privatization. However, finding tenants for contaminated and neglected bases in disrepair that housed facilities inappropriate for commercial use has often been difficult. As a result, two of the military's most pressing issues have been providing assistance to adjacent communities socially and economically affected by the base's closure and the implementation of cost-effective programs to clean environmentally contaminated areas.

In the 1960s, the government downsized its closure process, developing a protocol that closed bases without congressional or military involvement. Subsequent legislative efforts to gain discretionary power were thwarted until the passage of Public Law 95-82 in 1977, which mandated congressional notification and approval of all future base closures. As a result, legal restrictions stonewalled the Department of Defense's attempts to close bases. However, the military could not justify the costs of maintaining surplus bases as it was attempting to reduce the size and scope of the military's infrastructure at the end of the Cold War. Consequently, the military did not close any bases for a decade.

The base-closure commission process initiated the 20th century depoliticization of defense issues. Because base closure was frequently used as a political tool that often stalled the passage of legislation, Congress restricted presidential powers in this area in 1988 and established independent and bipartisan Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commissions (BRAC). The goals of the commissions concerned the minimization of political manipulation and the closure of 30 percent of the military's base infrastructure by 1995.

Beginning in 1988, the first BRAC round resulted in an estimated savings of $700 million, or 1/280 of the defense budget (see Table 1). In an attempt to further remove politics from the base closure process, Congress revised the Base Closure and Realignment Act in 1991. As well, the Air Force's reduction of [Page 448]Strategic Air Command bomber bases after the end of the Cold War resulted in closures of bases in Texas, Arizona, and Washington. Therefore, the BRAC list displayed a power shift from the Strategic Air Command to the Tactical Air Command.

In the 1993 round, the Navy had the most base closures. Air Force depots also closed in Texas, California, Utah, and Oklahoma, which traditionally were the largest suppliers of civilian employment. The fourth BRAC round, in 1995, was the most extensive. The previous three lists eliminated only half of the bases slated for closure. To circumvent bureaucratic inefficiency and expedite environmental cleanup, the program “fast clean up” was initiated.

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