ARTICLE

March 2003

Military Base Closures: Countdown to 2005

by Sandra I. Erwin

November 15, 2002
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sends “kick-off memo,” outlining the basic decision structure and methodology for the BRAC process.

December 19, 2002
Rumsfeld convenes the first meeting of the senior-level Infrastructure Executive Council and the Infrastructure Steering Group.

April 15, 2003
The Infrastructure Executive Council recommends to the secretary what facility categories should be considered for joint-service consolidation and which should remain service-centric.

December 2003
The secretary must publish the selection criteria.

February 2004
The secretary must deliver to Congress a 24-year force structure plan, a report on worldwide infrastructure inventory and the type of infrastructure necessary to support that force structure plan. He also must provide an economic analysis of the financial implications of BRAC. He must certify that there is a need for BRAC and that there will be annual savings by 2011.

May 16, 2005
The president of the United States must nominate and the Senate must confirm nine members to the BRAC commission. The secretary must make his BRAC recommendations to that commission and to the defense committees on the Hill. If he does not meet the deadline, BRAC stops.

September 8, 2005
The commission must report to the president of the United States. If it does not meet that date, BRAC stops. The president then must approve or disapprove and communicate his decision to Congress by September 23.

The recommendations are binding 45 days after the president sends them to Congress, unless Congress enacts a joint resolution of disapproval.

October 20, 2005
The commission must come back to the president with either the same or some modified list of recommendations. The president can accept or reject the entire list, but not parts of it. If he accepts, he has until November 7 to inform Congress.

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