Linton Daily Citizen April 22, 2005
Hostettler lauds Crane at annual breakfast as BRAC deadline nears
By Nick Schneider, STAFF WRITER
An Indiana congressman used the setting of an annual breakfast honoring Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division in the nation's capital on Thursday to "tell the story" about the military value of the southern Indiana base.
"The men and women of Crane Navy and Army provide services that are invaluable to our nation's warfighters today and in the future, U.S. Rep. John Hostettler said Thursday at the annual Crane Congressional Breakfast in Washington, D.C.
"Crane has a long list of unique attributes, skills and achievements that make it invaluable to present and future warfighters," said Hostettler, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and long-time champion of Crane. "Crane has a remarkable story to tell and the annual breakfast allows it to be heard by decision makers in Congress and the Pentagon."
Hostettler, who hosts the annual gathering, thanked Rep. Mike Sodrel (IN-9), Rep. Steve Buyer (IN-4), and former Sen. Dan Coats for their support of NSWC Crane -- located in Greene, Martin and Daviess counties.
Coats was named part of the Crane lobbying effort last month by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels after the untimely death of Tilley Fowler, a former Florida Congresswoman with family ties in Indiana, who was working to keep Crane afloat.
Coats served in the U.S. Senate from 1989 to 1999, and in the U.S. House from 1981 to 1988. He was most recently U.S. Ambassador to the Federal Republic of West Germany.
The NSWC Crane Division employs more than 4,000 people, according to GlobalSecurity.org, a military facility Web site. The base is directly and indirectly responsible for more than $241 million in wages and add more than $22.2 million to tax state and local tax revenue coffers.
Hostettler pointed out Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution makes it clear that one of the primary obligations of the federal government is to provide for the national defense, both for today and in anticipation of threats on the horizon.
"Crane is the tip of the spear, providing state-of-the-art technology and equipping the warfighter to win this nation's wars," Hostettler said. "As we enter this season of anxiety, I am reassured by the fact that Crane is a leader in providing military value and support that are paramount to the mission of our Armed Services.
"As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have heard stories time and time again from military personnel who asked Crane to do the impossible, only to have the finished product delivered under budget and ahead of time," he said. "You meet these requirements in the best state of the Union, where workers are patriotic, dedicated and committed to serving."
Hostettler also highlighted the unique close-working relationship that Crane management and labor enjoy.
All these attributes "make Crane the ideal flagship for America's Midwest Navy," he said.
Many in the area are uneasy about the future operation of NSWC Crane as this round of the Base Realignment and Closure process moves along. Crane lobbyist and state officials have made several recent trips to Washington D.C. in recent months making their case to keep the state's only military facility open.
The Department of Defense (DoD) uses the BRAC process to reorganize its installation infrastructure to most efficiently support its forces, increase operational readiness and facilitate new ways of doing business, according to the BRAC Web site. The first BRAC occurred in 1988, and more followed in 1991, 1993 and 1995.
Congress authorized BRAC 2005 in the fiscal 2002 National Defense Authorization Act. The selection criteria were published in February 2004. In March of this year, President Bush appointed the members of an independent BRAC commission.
The latest threat will either fade or intensify on May 16, the deadline for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to submit his list of recommended base closures to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission.
If Crane is on the list, its roughly 4,000 employees will live under the threat of closure until at least early September, when the nine-member commission sends its base-closure recommendations to President Bush.
Everyone from local chambers of commerce to the state's U.S. senators are making the case for keeping Crane open and a viable part of the local economy.
The Base Realignment and Closure Commission, appointed by President Bush, will examine the recommendations and possibly make some changes. Then the list goes to the president by Sept. 8.
If Bush approves it, Congress has 45 days to reject the entire list, but lawmakers can't pick and choose which bases close. The purpose of the process is to remove it from politics so decisions are based primarily on military need.
What are the criteria the Pentagon and the commission use to pick installations for extinction, consolidation or realignment?
The most important one is the base's military value. The top concern is whether and how well the facility fits into Rumsfeld's strategy to transform the military into a leaner, quicker and more high-tech force, one more skilled at fighting insurgencies such as those facing U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Further down on the criteria gauge are how much would be saved by closing the base, how long it would take to shut it down, the economic impact on the community and the environmental impact and expected cleanup costs.
The Pentagon says about $7 billion will be saved annually if 20 percent of current bases are closed. The unofficial word is the goal is to spread the pain by having each state take some sort of hit.
Generally, any installation that appeared on earlier Pentagon hit lists, but managed to escape has a better chance of making the list again than ones that never were targeted.
Maintenance, storage and ammunition depots also are likely to find themselves in the bull's-eye. So are Air National Guard facilities that can be consolidated into nearby Air Force bases. Laboratories, training ranges and other facilities serving just one branch of service may be rejiggered into a smaller number of joint facilities to be shared by other services.
One wrinkle is the 70,000 U.S. troops in Europe and South Korea who will be brought stateside in the near future as a separate, overseas base-closing effort gets under way. Where they will be transferred has not been revealed.
Once on the Pentagon BRAC list, can a base win a reprieve?
It's possible, but chances are slim. It takes a majority vote of the commission to spare a base. In past rounds, the panel has approved about 85 percent of the Pentagon's recommendations. It will take seven votes on the nine-person panel to add a base not targeted by the Pentagon.
Another important criterion when the commission considers an installation for a BRAC action is the availability and condition of lands, facilities and associated airspace both at both existing and potential receiving locations. That availability also extends to homeland-defense training missions.
Bases chosen for closure or major realignment can expect the process to be completed within six years from the approval of recommendations. They can also expect some assistance and guidance from the DOD and interagency partners.
© Copyright 2005, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
