Washington, D.C., Jan 27 - Congressman Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas) released the following statement after Thursday's press conference in which the Department of Defense announced changes to military operations and personnel, including a new round of Base Realignment and Closure:

"At Thursday's press conference, the Department of Defense leadership laid out the details of the military's proposed spending plan for 2013 and beyond.  The announcement echoed Secretary of Defense Panetta's remarks during his recent visit to El Paso where he stressed the importance of maintaining a strong military that is more agile and better equipped for future conflicts.

"The Secretary noted that the White House intends to ask Congress to authorize the Department of Defense to conduct additional Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) rounds which would allow the military to consolidate missions and reduce unneeded capacity. Congress, in the past, has been reluctant to approve legislation authorizing a BRAC; however, the current budget challenges facing our nation may increase the likelihood of one - or even perhaps two - rounds of base closures.  I worked with community leaders to ensure that Fort Bliss went from the verge of closure in 1996 to the biggest winner in the 2005, and we will work together again to both maintain current missions and to expand the post.

"Under the Defense Department plan announced on Thursday, Army end strength would be gradually reduced from 562,000 to 490,000.  Certainly, it makes sense to link the size of the Army to military requirements and the end of the war in Iraq has greatly reduced the need for ground forces, and I will be working with the Army to minimize the impacts on soldiers and their families.  As the highest ranking Democratic Member of the Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, I will also be closely studying the Department of Defense's budget proposal to ensure that we have maintained the correct force structure and that we have provided appropriate funding to train and equip all of our combat forces.

These proposed funding and personnel reductions have the potential to impact every military installation, including Fort Bliss.  With the 2005 BRAC which brought the First Armored Division to Fort Bliss along with recent developments including the establishment of the Brigade Modernization Command and the addition of a Stryker brigade combat team, Fort Bliss is well positioned as the Army force structure is rebalanced.  As an installation with state-of-the-art combat training ranges, newly constructed facilities, and the nation's newest military medical center currently being constructed, Fort Bliss remains the Army's premier installation, prepared for additional growth.