FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 26, 2005

Rell, Dodd, Lieberman, and Larson Laud Adjutants General Association of the United States on its Presentation to the BRAC Commission
Letter to Chairman Principi highlights flaws in BRAC decision

Washington, D.C. � Governor M. Jodi Rell, Senators Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman, and Representative John Larson today commended the Adjutants General Association of the United States (AGAUS) for its effort to resolve legal and strategic flaws in the Pentagon�s Air National Guard BRAC recommendations. In a letter to Chairman Principi, the AGAUS asserted that the Department of Defense went beyond its authority by recommending the transfer of aircraft between states without those states� consent. Among its BRAC recommendations, the Defense Department has proposed that Connecticut's103rd Fighter Wing at Bradley Airport relinquish its A-10 aircraft to Barnes Air Force Base in Massachusetts. 

�I have made it abundantly clear to Secretary Rumsfeld that I have not agreed � and will not agree � to the movement of the Air National Guard A-10 fighter jets stationed at Bradley International Airport,� Governor M. Jodi Rell said. �The comments of the Adjutants General on this issue bolster our position. They are seeking an alternative that meets the needs of both the states and the Air Force, and ought to have the time they need to craft that proposal.�

�This is a significant development. There is a clear pattern emerging that indicates that the Pentagon clearly overstepped its bounds and didn�t comply with the rules when making these recommendations,� said Dodd. �The fact that the Adjutants General Association is expressing opposition to the Pentagon�s recommendations should send a very strong signal to the BRAC Commission that the Pentagon erred in this and other decisions.�

�The Connecticut team strongly believes that the Defense Department�s proposed closure of the Bradley Air National Guard Base is beyond the scope of the BRAC process, said Lieberman. We are confident that the BRAC commissioners will take a good, hard look at the facts, and reverse the Pentagon�s flawed recommendation to close the Bradley base.�

�The BRAC commissioners asked for a solution that best serves the interests of our national security and our country,� Larson said. �Creating a plan without consulting the adjutant generals and governors undermines those interests, especially considering the heightened threats facing our country, states and municipalities.� 

�The adjutant generals know their units,� Larson added. �When they say that the Pentagon�s unilateral recommendations are not only beyond the scope of the law, but detrimental to homeland security, they should be heard. Rather than rushing into a decision, it�s far better to reach an answer that meets all needs, the top priority being the safety of the American public.� 

The letter written by the Adjutants General Association of the United States to Chairman Principi is attached.

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