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| Latest base closings may be limited | |
| 2005-05-06 | |
| WASHINGTON, May 6 (UPI) -- Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld is suggesting the next round of U.S. military base closings may be less extensive than some communities had feared. Since the base closing process started, Washington has shut 97 major bases and hundreds of smaller installations for a net savings of $28.9 billion. This year's round is the fifth since 1988. Many expected this latest round of proposed closures to be the most extensive, but the defense secretary seemed to curb that perception Thursday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Friday. "Without final figures, I would say the percent will be less than half of the 20 to 25 percent that has been characterized previously," Rumsfeld said. Rumsfeld has until May 16 to present his recommendations to a nine-member base-closing commission, which will spend the next four months preparing a final report for the president. Previous base-closing commissions have accepted 85 percent of the Pentagon's recommendations. Additional: In his discussions with editorial writers at several papers, Rumsfeld said several factors have prompted him to change his assessment. U.S. bases will need to accommodate more than 70,000 troops and at least 100,000 dependents being returned home from overseas bases in Asia and Europe. Moreover, Rumsfeld said, Pentagon teams drawing up the list of recommendations have concluded that many Defense Department employees now working in leased space can be moved onto government-owned property, enabling the government to further save money by jettisoning much of its leasing costs.
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| Posted by:Steve |