Military

DATE=07/25/01

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=PENTAGON/BASES (L ONLY)

NUMBER=2-278639

BYLINE= ALEX BELIDA

DATELINE=PENTAGON

INTERNET=YES

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: The Bush administration is poised to ask Congress for the authority to conduct a new round of military base closings. V-O-A Pentagon Correspondent Alex Belida reports on one of the most politically explosive domestic defense issues.

TEXT: Pentagon sources tell V-O-A a draft proposal tentatively called the Efficient Facilities Initiative was presented to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld this week for his final approval. These sources say the plan is to send the proposal to Congress as early as this Thursday -- after it is endorsed by the White House.

A senior Pentagon official says the decision to move forward with the politically explosive proposal follows extensive consultations with members of Congress, who in recent years have rejected Defense Department requests to conduct new base closings.

The senior Pentagon official tells V-O-A Mr. Rumsfeld is "fully aware" of the challenges of winning approval for new closings. But this official says the defense secretary is convinced of the necessity of making the cuts despite the controversy they are sure to generate.

This is the way Mr. Rumsfeld put it during a recent Congressional appearance:

///RUMSFELD ACT///

It's not something that I'm personally delighted to be doing. It causes a lot of heartburn and pain and concern and anger and apprehension and fear. But we simply have got to manage the money in this Department better than we're doing it.

///END ACT///

There have been four rounds of base closings since 1988 - the last in 1995. Pentagon officials say these have resulted in the closing of close to 100 major military installations and generated savings of over 14 billion dollars.

But Defense officials say the cuts have not gone far enough. Mr. Rumsfeld says 20 to 25 percent of the country's remaining military facilities can still be closed, generating additional savings of several billion dollars a year. Mr. Rumsfeld wants to use those savings to pay for new high-tech military equipment favored by commanders.

Though the emphasis appears to be on cost savings, the proposed cutback process is also tied closely to the current strategic review under way at the Pentagon. The senior official tells V-O-A decisions on which bases will be designated for closure will depend on the outcome of the defense review. The official says U-S bases overseas will also come under scrutiny.

There are approximately 100 U-S bases overseas. There are some 420 major installations in the United States itself.

//REST OPTIONAL///

Domestic base closings are a highly controversial issue. Members of Congress are generally reluctant to approve shutdowns of military facilities in their states because of the potentially damaging political consequences. That is because bases are often integral parts of communities -- providing jobs for local residents and pumping money into the local economy.

The previous base closing process was known as BRAC Base Realignment and Closure. Under that process, a special commission reviewed Pentagon recommendations for specific closings, then submitted its own recommendations to the President. He could only accept or reject the recommendations as a whole package - not selectively. Once sent to Congress, legislators had 45 days to disapprove of the entire package, or else it went into effect - a system designed to give political protection to members, who could then tell constituents they had not voted in favor of closing this-or-that base.

But Republicans accused former President Bill Clinton of politicizing the process by effectively delaying the closure of facilities in the electorally important states of California and Texas. As a result, no further rounds of base closings were approved after 1995.

It is not clear whether the new Efficient Facilities Initiative will change the system or merely its name. But Mr. Rumsfeld is clearly hoping for a change of Congressional heart now that a Republican, George Bush, is in the White House.

But members of Congress are already voicing concerns. During a recent hearing, one Connecticut legislator told the Defense Secretary his state had only one base and he didn't want to lose it - an attitude likely to proliferate as quickly as bases are targeted for closure. (Signed)

NEB/BEL/PFH