Bases in the Right Places

BASES IN THE RIGHT PLACES

Author: Senator Trent Lott

August 23rd, 2004 -

In an effort to get America's bases in the right places, President Bush has proposed the most dramatic military restructuring since the early 1950s. He wants to scale back military installations overseas, mostly in Western Europe, and bring home almost 70,000 military personnel and 100,000 family members. This reshuffling will impact forces in Europe and Asia - part of an effort to base our defense on 21st century technical capability instead of sheer numbers. It should give pause for second thought to closing domestic bases like ours in Mississippi.

Closing Cold War-era overseas installations and moving these military assets closer to 21st century threats is badly needed. I've been advocating this move for several years. You may recall that I led a Senate effort last spring to begin this very process. My amendment to this year's Defense Authorization Bill sought to first put outmoded overseas bases up for closure, before any domestic base is considered. I especially had in mind our heavy armored divisions that remain in Germany. Most of these assets were meant to deter a Communist threat that disintegrated more than a decade ago and has been replaced by new threats in other places, including our own homeland, as we tragically experienced on 9/11.

In the Terror War it's becoming clear we need our military bases here at home more than ever. We can depend on places like Naval Air Station Meridian, Columbus Air Force Base, Keesler Air Force Base, Camp Shelby and others for the best training and community support. As we've seen with the Iraq front of the Terror War, we can't always depend on our allies' military help or their indefinite hospitality. It's obvious that America is the prime target and terminator of terrorists today, and we've got to do what's best for today's mission. That means keeping open many domestic military bases, especially training installations.

I sympathize with German towns like Baumholder where U.S. military personnel now equal the town's native population of 11,000. The mayor there estimates Baumholder will lose $150 million a year if our forces leave. That's a tough blow, and we should try to lessen the economic impact. However, I'd rather see Baumholder lose $150 million than Meridian, Columbus or Pascagoula. I'd rather see a Cold War-era foreign base close than see our military lose any modern domestic base on which to train or station troops. The reality is we no longer need hundreds of bases in Western Europe or Asia. We do need the dependability, flexibility and expandability of our bases at home.

What's more, if we're going to close bases overseas, then we've got to have places to put those troops and equipment. Of course, many of our European forces will be redeployed to today's hot spots like Iraq and Afghanistan, but not all of them. The General Accounting Office has reported that previous rounds of base closure have left the Army with no excess base capacity. Before we have another round of base closures, we need to determine where to put troops and equipment returning home from overseas. We can't afford to close a domestic base in the expected 2005 base closure round, then two years later waste tax dollars building a new base for returning troops.

President Bush's restructuring plan isn't punishment for countries like Germany or France which have been unsupportive of the Iraq War. Rather, this restructuring was needed before the Iraq Conflict, and it was inevitable even before the 9/11 attacks. Needed overseas installations like hospitals, refueling stations, ports and other assets will remain open. This restructuring simply seeks to finally shift from a Cold War footing to one more suited to the 21st century's defense requirements.

Our military posture must shift from the passive detente' and deterrence of Cold War to the active requirements of a very hot Terror War. The President's announcement reinforces my long-held view that base closure should begin first overseas, and that our domestic bases are more important than ever. Our local military installations are truly bases in the right places.