"Don't get me started."
That's a response that my father and I often have when the topic of closing military bases comes up. In short, we're against closing bases.
That said, we've been waiting to see what the Defense Department' Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process suggests for the next round of base closures.
The list came out today, and thankfully it was not as severe as speculated. The major SC bases survive as well as those in VA.
One key closure is Ellsworth AFB in SD, where a local security forces member is assigned. I interviewed him for the newspaper. Half of the country's B-1B bombers make their home at Ellsworth, which is also the second largest employer in the state.
Now communities such as Rapid City, SD near Ellsworth begin the process of fighting to keep their bases, which provide scores of jobs for local civilians and often feed a surprising number of support businesses.
Posted by JRC at May 13, 2005 04:22 PM | TrackBack