Letter from an individual who believes that the BRAC '05 should be cancelled until the Iraqi war is over Page: 2 of 6
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4. Consolidation and Jointness:
a. History tells us consolidation of military forces in one or a few
locations is not a good idea. (Ref. Movie Torah, Torah, Torah)
b. Single location of a crucial technical asset is dangerous to national
security. (Ref. Bombing of ball bearing factories in War II)
c. Jointness has disadvantages in decreasing competition between
military services. (e.g. Army special forces vs. Marines)
5. Poor BRAC Input:
a. The National Guard and particularly the Air National Guard are upset
about military value criteria being weighted in favor of active bases.
(Ref. C-SPAN Commission videos)
b. Many of the realignments move bases to southern temperate climates
making for a fair weather military. (Ref. Military BRAC Reports pdf files)
c. Most state governors are upset with the lack of consulting or
coordination. (Ref. C-SPAN videos)
d. Many State delegations claim several DOD criterion were violated
(Ref. C-SPAN videos)
e. Military BRAC studies were done primarily by installation personnel
rather than operations people who were probably busy with the war.
(Ref. Mil. BRAC reports organizational charts)
f. Homeland security was given little credence in the study and many of
the delegations questioned the cost savings. (Ref. C-SPAN videos)
Conclusion: BRAC '05 should be canceled until the Iraqi war is effectively over
and new and more specific criteria guidance can be provided. Intelligence type items
should not be in the portion of the study made public and states reminded not to reveal
specific target information.
From a personal point of view it seems like we should be adding military
machinery and duplicate some of the one-of-a-kind facilities. Previous BRAC's have
already closed way too many bases. The federal government's main job is to provide
security, not social services.Sincerely,
tJames A. Schmitendorf
Lt. Col., USAF, Ret.
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Letter from an individual who believes that the BRAC '05 should be cancelled until the Iraqi war is over, letter, August 26, 2005; (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc23245/m1/2/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.