(Charleston-AP) March 15, 2005 - The clock is
ticking, and South Carolina's military bases are on the
line.
The Department of Defense is looking to trim military
capacity by 25 percent. South Carolina leaders are
pulling out all the stops to protect our bases, and the
thousands of jobs and billions in economic impact that
go with them.
Governor Mark Sanford and other state officials went
to Washington on Monday to defend South Carolina's
military bases as a new round of base closings
approaches.
Fort Jackson is the army's largest basic training
center. Shaw is the Air Force's only Southeast base
flying air combat patrols over the US, and Parris Island
is the one Marine recruit training base on the east
coast. It's a sample of South Carolina's military
installations.
They contribute 142,000 jobs and $7 billion to the
state's economy. And any of them could be in jeopardy
this May when the Department of Defense gives its
recommended list of base closings to BRAC, the Base
Closure and Realignment Commission.
Charleston's Mayor Joe Riley comments, "This next
BRAC is being called the mother of all BRACs. We're sure
not sitting back resting on any laurels."
Intense lobbying efforts started years ago. In 2003,
Gov. Sanford created the South Carolina Military Base
Task Force and the Governor's Military Base Advisory
Committee to help coordinate state strategy related to
BRAC. Several communities have raised hundreds of
thousands of dollars, and local leaders have visited
Washington almost every month.
Brig. Gen. George Patrick is on the Task Force, "It's
a product I believe in. We add value to America. But I'm
certainly nervous because we know there are going to be
winners and losers."
The Department of Defense considers military value
first, then potential savings, economic impact on local
communities, whether it's a military-friendly area and
the environmental impact.
BRAC might not be all bad for South Carolina because
most of the bases in the state have room to grow. In
fact, in recent BRACs, Fort Jackson gained military
installations, a Chaplain School and a Department of
Defense Polygraph School.
Brig. Gen. Patrick says that SC is in a good position
for BRAC, "We think we offer a
tremendous opportunity for growth. Remember BRAC is
base realignment and closure. I like to tell people
South Carolina has done their closure, we've paid
our part of the bill in the last couple rounds of BRAC.
We're ready to do some of that realignment."
However, South Carolina has not always come out on
top in closures. In 1991, Myrtle Beach lost its air
station. In 1993, Charleston Navy Base was closed.
President Bush submitted a list of candidates
for the new Base Realignment and Closure Commission on
Tuesday. The commission will have a key role in deciding
which of the roughly 425 domestic military bases should
be closed, expanded or restructured.
The Defense Department releases the 2005 list on May
16.
Reported by Heather
Brown
Updated 6:17pm by BrettWitt
