FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 9, 2005
CONTACT: Chris Paulitz
SENATOR HUTCHISON CONVENES "TEXAS IS GOOD FOR DEFENSE" MEETING
WITH DEFENSE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS
Texas delegation conveys support for state military installations
WASHINGTON, DC -- At Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s (R-TX) invitation, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and 14 members of the Texas Congressional delegation gathered today in her Washington, D.C. office for a meeting with key Department of Defense officials responsible for our nation’s military installments. The delegation presented a united front as they discussed the positive – and critical – aspects of the numerous military facilities located in communities throughout Texas.
“The Texas delegation is seizing every opportunity to convey to top military decision-makers the critical importance of Texas’ military installations,” Sen. Hutchison said. “Our military is undergoing a major realignment to help us face new threats, and many of our troops stationed overseas are being redeployed home. We should welcome them back to facilities that can best meet their training needs – and those facilities are in Texas. Today we presented a united and convincing case, proving the advantages of Texas to our military’s leaders.”
As Chairman of the Senate Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee, Sen. Hutchison has been a leading advocate of Texas’ military facilities and defender of Texas’ bases during the current Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. She has urged the Department of Defense to overhaul America’s global base realignment. Two years ago, Sen. Hutchison successfully convinced Congress to establish an Overseas Basing Commission (OBC) to give the same scrutiny to overseas bases that those in America will face in the upcoming 2005 BRAC. There are space and training constraints on many overseas bases, where training could be better achieved at home.
On February 4, 2005, Sen. Hutchison and Sen. Cornyn met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who told them the adverse impact of the 2005 BRAC process on military bases will be significantly reduced due to foreign reassignments to domestic bases.
“With 17 bases and more than 150 military installations, the State of Texas is critical to our nation’s defenses,” Sen. Hutchison said.
The Department of Defense officials who attended the Texas delegation meeting included:
- Phil Grone, Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment
- Geoffrey Prosch, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations and Environment
- B.J. Penn, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Installations and Environment
- Fred Kuhn, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations and Environment
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