Military closure panel to look at Nevada facilities

Suzanne Struglinski

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2004 | 11:54 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Nevada's congressional delegation says the state's military installations appear safe from closure, based on recently published Defense Department criteria that will determine which military installations it will recommend for closure or mission changes next year.

Nellis Air Force Base, its auxiliary base at Indian Springs, the Naval Air Station at Fallon and the Hawthorne Army Depot will, like all military installations, be reviewed and subject to possible closure next year through the Base Realignment and Closure process known as BRAC. The department published the final checklist of criteria it will use to evaulate the sites in the Federal Register on Thursday.

The department has eight critieria, but the priority will be given to a base's "military value," which include its current and future capabilities on training, warfighting and readiness, the availability of land and facilities, as well as cost.

Environmental impact, the economic impact on the local community and how a local community can support the base will also be considered.

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., who announced plans in January to create Nevada's Military Advocacy Commission, said he thinks no Nevada bases are in jeopardy. Still, he plans to hold the commission's first meeting in March, spokeswoman Amy Spanbauer said.

Although Congress can only vote on whatever the BRAC Commission recommends, Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., is in "constant touch with the base and the delegation on this and will fight for whatever the base needs to survive BRAC," spokesman Adam Mayberry said.

"BRAC has a full scope to look at all locations, but the unique training operations at the Nellis range, the center at Indian Springs, and the tremendous work the community and congressional delegation have done to strengthen Nellis and protect against encroachment bode well," Mayberry said.

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., who heads the Senate Readiness and Management Support Subcomittee said Nellis and Fallon "are not bases that we have to defend," because of the training that goes on there.

"The Nevada ranges make Nellis and Fallon completely indispensible bases for the security of the United States," Ensign said. "I can say without a doubt that we are not going to be touched in BRAC."

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., agreed that the state has the "premier military bases in the country."

"They're critical to our national security, and any criteria will reflect that. Nevada's bases have grown, even during times of overall military cuts, because of their unique assets," Reid said. "I expect they'll continue to thrive, on their own merit, for the foreseeable future."

Nellis spokesman Mike Estrada said the base submitted its answers to the Pentagon's first call for data from all installations last month and base officials have little to do with the process beyond providing the Pentagon the information it needs.

Congress has until March 15 to settle on final criteria. If it keeps the criteria in tact, the process will be handed over to the BRAC Commission, a nine-member panel that will be nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

The commission is to review all the military bases and should send its recommendations for closings or realignment to the president in September 2005. Congress then has just under two months to review the report, but can only reject or accept the whole thing.

Through separate BRAC rounds in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995, the department closed 97 bases and conducted 55 realignments as well as 235 minor closures and realignments, according to the department's press office.