The Pentagon has renewed a push to shut down military bases, telling Congress the military “must stop wasting money” on excess infrastructure it doesn’t need and cash that would be better spent on readiness and modernizing weapons.
A Defense Department report estimated, based on projected 2019 force levels, the Air Force has 32 percent excess infrastructure alone and the military has 22 percent more space overall than it needs.
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Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a large, complex base with acres of available land that could put it in contention to gain missions in a base realignment and closure process, “but it’s still a roll of the dice and it’s still uncertain,” said Michael Gessel, Dayton Development Coalition vice president of federal programs in Washington, D.C.
It could be at risk to lose missions as well, he said.
Still, defense analysts said, a round of base closures is unlikely in the midst of a contentious presidential election year. It will likely be left for the next administration to grapple with, Harrison said.
House lawmakers Tuesday released a legislative provision in proposed fiscal year 2017 defense bill to prohibit a BRAC, Gessel said. But that wouldn’t preclude a BRAC in 2019 with follow-on legislation, he added.
State lawmakers set aside $5 million meant to primarily protect Wright-Patterson, the largest single-site employer in Ohio with more than 27,000 employees. At least part of the money was intended to pay for base infrastructure needs.
The Ohio Federal Military Jobs Commission this year urged the state to hire a czar to oversee efforts to bolster Ohio military bases to withstand the scrutiny of a BRAC.
