Editorial: Fighting base closings

Tuesday, May 17, 2005 | 9:11 a.m.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is recommending that 33 major domestic bases be shut down and hundreds more either be closed or consolidated. The Pentagon estimates that $48.8 billion would be saved over a 20-year period through the reduction of 26,000 military and civilian jobs and the consolidation of some activities.

One of the major bases set for closure is 95 miles southeast of Reno -- the Hawthorne Army Depot, a munitions facility employing about 200 people. The Pentagon says the storage and demilitarization functions could be performed instead at Tooele Army Depot in Utah, saving $777 million over 20 years. Proposed changes at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport Air Guard Station would result in the loss of about 150 jobs, with eight C-130H aircraft being transferred to Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas and combat support units being moved to two stations in California. In contrast, Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas would gain about 1,400 military and civilian workers as other missions and jobs are transferred here. We are not surprised that the Pentagon wants to enlarge the role of Nellis Air Force Base, which not only has a 3 million-acre range, but also o ffers some of the most realistic training available for pilots.

Across the nation, government officials and business leaders who stand to lose military bases in their cities and states have noted the devastating impact the loss of jobs could have on their local economy. Nevada's congressional delegation will try to persuade the base closing commission that will first review the recommendations -- one of its nine members is former Democratic Rep. Jim Bilbray of Nevada -- to preserve operations at Hawthorne and Reno, noting their value to the military. It's sad that Hawthorne, a patriotic town that for more than half a century has steadfastly supported the Army's mission there, may lose the base and so many jobs. Reversing cost-cutting proposals -- whether by the base closing commission, the president or Congress -- has been extraordinarily difficult in the past. And despite the economic hardship that base closures or co nsolidating operations may bring about, the Pentagon almost certainly will prevail if it can prove that these moves will im! prove national security.