“I opposed the BRAC process at its initiation because it represents a cop-out by the Congress of its duties.  I continue to dislike the process and the fact that any Mississippi facilities are on today’s closure list. That being said, I’m breathing a sign of relief for those facilities that weren’t on the list. Today’s recommendations mainly impact Naval Station Pascagoula and the 186^th Air Refueling Wing at Key Field, Meridian.  Pascagoula is a new, unique, magnificent facility which unfortunately is not multi-missioned.  I’m optimistic that as we go through this process, its huge value will be recognized, and other missions ultimately will be added to Pascagoula.  The 186^th Air Refueling Wing at Key Field, Meridian, is one of the highest ranked tanker facilities in the country, and I’m optimistic that the value of its mission will permit it to continue in Meridian.

            “No state is more familiar with the BRAC process than Mississippi.  Three times in the 1990s we saw Mississippi bases targeted by BRAC lists, and yet our state has never lost a base to BRAC.  Mississippians understand that today’s Pentagon recommendations are not an end, but merely the next step of an ongoing process of constantly promoting and protecting Mississippi’s military installations. We expect to succeed again.  Because, like John Stennis and Sonny Montgomery, we see an enduring role for Mississippi in America’s national defense.  Our bases are modern installations with irrefutable physical and technical attributes.  Our people are patriotic.  Our communities are supportive of our military, and we’ve contributed significantly to America’s overall national security.  I’m confident that our bases will again be judged as a critical component of America’s security portfolio.  I also note that this process is as much about realignment as it is about closure.  In fact, there may be ways for Mississippi to benefit from certain changes to base missions, as we have in the past. 

            “Finally, we should note that during the past two weeks, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and the Overseas Basing Commission each have noted that excess military installation capacity may not be as large as originally projected.  To me, this is yet another example of how 20 years of BRAC have proven to be an ineffective method of addressing the excess capacity issue, failing to accurately articulate our defense posture and needs, failing to show significant cost savings, and causing communities nationwide an undue amount of consternation and cash expenditure. 

            “I’m hopeful that when this 2005 round is over, we’ll immediately scrap the entire BRAC mechanism and return to having elected representatives in Congress – in conjunction with experts at the Pentagon – make the tough decisions about base realignment and closure.  That’s the way it was done for generations.  It was fair, and it worked.  It is Congress’ job to make hard decisions, and we should no longer dodge our duty by leaving these difficult issues to an unelected commission.”                                   

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