Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) was a process by a

United States federal government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

commission to increase the efficiency of the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...

by coordinating the realignment and closure of military installations following the end of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. Over 350 installations have been closed in five BRAC rounds: 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995, and 2005. These five BRAC rounds constitute a combined savings of $12 billion annually.

Background

The

Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 The Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 is the United States federal law which established the General Services Administration (GSA). The act also provides for various Federal Standards to be published by the GSA. Among thes ...

, passed after the 1947 reorganization of the

National Military Establishment The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, t ...

, reduced the number of U.S. military bases, forts, posts, and stations. The subsequent 1950s buildup for the Cold War (e.g., during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

) resulted in large numbers of new installations, such as the Permanent System radar stations and

Semi-Automatic Ground Environment The Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) was a system of mainframe computer, large computers and associated computer network, networking equipment that coordinated data from many radar sites and processed it to produce a single unified image ...

(SAGE) control centers. By 1959, plans for even larger numbers of Cold War installations were canceled (e.g., DoD's June 19, 1959, Continental Air Defense Program reduced the number of Super Combat Center underground nuclear bunkers to 7). In 1958, U.S.

Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more Thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear warheads). Conven ...

(ICBMs) began to replace

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...

bombers. From 1960 to 1964, the

Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...

and Kennedy administrations closed 574 U.S. military bases around the world, particularly after President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

was briefed after his inauguration that the

missile gap In the United States, during the Cold War, the missile gap was the perceived superiority of the number and power of the USSR's missiles in comparison with those of the U.S., causing a lack of military parity. The gap in the ballistic missile arsen ...

was not a concern. ;1961 closures: On March 28, 1961, President Kennedy announced the closure of 73 military establishments. ;1964 closures: "In December 1963, Secretary McNamara announced the closure of twenty-six DOD installations or activities in the CONUS". ;1965 closures: Secretary of Defense

Robert McNamara Robert Strange McNamara (; June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American businessman and government official who served as the eighth United States secretary of defense from 1961 to 1968 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson ...

announced 95 base closures/realignments in November 1964: 80 in the United States (33 states & DC) and 15 overseas. Closures included the

Brooklyn Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York, U.S. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a se ...

, the

Brooklyn Army Terminal The Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT) is a large warehouse complex in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, New York City. The site occupies more than between 58th and 63rd Streets west of 2nd Avenue, on Brooklyn's western shore. The complex was originally used ...

, the

Springfield Armory The Springfield Armory, more formally known as the United States Armory and Arsenal at Springfield located in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, was the primary center for the manufacture of United States military firearms from 1777 until ...

, six bomber bases, and 15 Air Defense Command radar stations—a realignment transferred

Highlands Air Force Station Highlands Air Force Station was a military installation in Middletown Township near the borough of Highlands, New Jersey. The station provided ground-controlled interception radar coverage as part of the Lashup Radar Network and the Semi-Autom ...

to the adjacent Highlands Army Air Defense Site. ;1968 Project 693:

Project 693 A project is a type of assignment, typically involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a specific objective. An alternative view sees a project managerially as a sequence of events: a "set of interrelated tasks to be ...

was established by Defense Secretary Clark Clifford during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

for reducing programs and personnel, and the project also closed several military installations. ;1969 realignments: The DoD realigned 307 military bases beginning with an announcement in October 1969. ; 1973 closures: 224 closures were announced in 1973. ;1974 Project Concise: Project Concise eliminated most of the

Project Nike Project Nike (Greek: Nike (mythology), Νίκη, "Victory") was a United States Army, U.S. Army project proposed in May 1945 by Bell Laboratories, to develop a line-of-sight (missile), line-of-sight anti-aircraft missile system. The project del ...

missile locations which generally each had two sites, a radar station on an elevated landform for guidance and command/control, and a launch area that had launch rails and stored missiles and warheads. A 1976 follow-on program to Concise closed additional installations. ;1983 Grace Commission: The Grace Commission was President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

's "Private Sector Survey" on cost control that concluded that "savings could be made in the military base structure" and recommended establishing an independent commission to study the issue. Public Law 100–526 endorsed the review in October 1988 and authorized the "special commission to recommend base realignments and closures" to the Secretary of Defense and provided relief from NEPA provisions that had hindered the base closure process. ;1988 Carlucci Commission: On May 3, 1988, the Carlucci Commission was chartered by Secretary of Defense

Frank Carlucci Frank Charles Carlucci III ( ; October 18, 1930 – June 3, 2018) was an American politician who served as the United States Secretary of Defense from 1987 to 1989 in the administration of President Ronald Reagan. He was the first Italian A ...

, which in December 1988 recommended closing five

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

bases: Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois,

George Air Force Base George Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, 8 miles northwest, of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. Established by the United States Army Air C ...

Mather Air Force Base Mather Air Force Base (Mather AFB) was a United States Air Force Base, which was closed in 1993 pursuant to a post-Cold War BRAC decision. It was located east of Sacramento, on the south side of U.S. Route 50 in Sacramento County, Californ ...

and

Norton Air Force Base Norton Air Force Base (1942–1994) was a United States Air Force facility east of downtown San Bernardino in San Bernardino County, California. Overview For the majority of its operational lifetime, Norton was a logistics depot and heavy-l ...

in California, and Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire.

Law

The Defense Base Realignment and Closure Act of 1990 provided "the basic framework for the transfer and disposal of military installations closed during the base realignment and closure (BRAC) process". The process was created in 1988 to reduce

pork barrel ''Pork barrel'', or simply ''pork'', is a metaphor for allocating government spending to localized projects in the representative's district or for securing direct expenditures primarily serving the sole interests of the representative. The u ...

politics with members of Congress that arise when facilities face activity reductions. The most recent process began May 13, 2005, when Secretary of Defense

Donald Rumsfeld Donald Henry Rumsfeld (July 9, 1932 – June 29, 2021) was an American politician, businessman, and naval officer who served as United States Secretary of Defense, secretary of defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and again ...

forwarded his recommendations for realignments and closures to the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission. The BRAC is an independent nine-member panel appointed by the President. This panel evaluated the list by taking testimony from interested parties and visiting affected bases. The BRAC Commission had the opportunity to add bases to the list and did so in a July 19, 2005, hearing. The Commission met its deadline of September 2005 to provide the evaluated list to the President, who approved the list with the condition that it could only be approved or disapproved in its entirety. On November 7, 2005, the approved list was then given to Congress, who had the opportunity to disapprove the entire list within 45 days by enacting a resolution of disapproval. This did not happen, and the BRAC Commission's recommendations became final.

Closures and realignments

1988

The 1988 Base Realignment and Closure Commission included: * Alabama Army Ammunition Plant * Army Materials Technology Laboratory * Army Reserve Center Gaithersburg * Bennett Army National Guard Facility * Cameron Station * Cape St. George * Chanute Air Force Base * Coosa River Storage Annex * Defense Mapping Agency site Herndon, Virginia * Former Nike Site at the

Aberdeen Proving Ground Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work at APG. There are 11 major commands among the tenant units, ...

Fort Bliss Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Established in 1848, the fort was renamed in 1854 to honor William Wallace Smith Bliss, Bvt.Lieut.Colonel William W.S. Bliss (1815–1853 ...

(realigned) * Fort Des Moines *

Fort Detrick Fort Detrick () is a United States Army Futures Command installation located in Frederick, Maryland. Fort Detrick was the center of the U.S. biological weapons program from 1943 to 1969. Since the discontinuation of that program, it has hosted m ...

(realigned) *

Fort Dix Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air Fo ...

(realigned as Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst) *

Fort Douglas Fort Douglas (initially called Camp Douglas) was established in October 1862, during the American Civil War, as a small military garrison about three miles east of Salt Lake City, Utah. Its purpose was to protect the overland mail route and te ...

* Fort Holabird * Fort Meade (realigned) *

Fort Monmouth Fort Monmouth is a former installation of the Department of the Army in Monmouth County, New Jersey and the site of a major upcoming Netflix film production campus, alongside a variety of other redevelopment. The site is surrounded by the commun ...

* Fort Sheridan * Fort Wingate Ammunition Storage Depot *

Fort Wingate Fort Wingate was a military installation near Gallup, New Mexico, United States. There were two other locations in New Mexico called Fort Wingate: Seboyeta, New Mexico, Seboyeta (1849–1862) and San Rafael, New Mexico, San Rafael (1862–1868 ...

* Hamilton Army Airfield * Indiana Army Ammunition Plant * Irwin Support Detachment Annex * Jefferson Proving Ground * Kapalama Military Reservation Phase III * Lexington Army Depot * Lexington-Bluegrass Army Depot *

* Navajo Depot Activity (turned over to the Arizona Army National Guard) * Naval Hospital Philadelphia * Naval Reserve Center Coconut Grove * Naval Station Galveston * Naval Station Lake Charles * Naval Station New York * Naval Station Puget Sound * Naval Station San Francisco (realigned) * New Orleans Military Ocean Terminal * Nike Washington-Baltimore *

* Pease Air Force Base (realigned as Pease Air National Guard Base) * Pontiac Storage Facility *

Presidio of San Francisco The Presidio of San Francisco (originally, El Presidio Real de San Francisco or The Royal Fortress of Saint Francis) is a park and former U.S. Army post on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, and is part ...

* Pueblo Army Depot (realigned) * Salton Sea Test Base * St. Louis Area Support Center Wherry housing * Tacony Warehouse * Umatilla Army Depot (realigned)

1990

In 1990, the

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

considered cutting 34 military installations.

1991

The 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission included: *

Beale Air Force Base Beale Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base in Yuba County, California, Yuba County, California. It is outside Linda, California, Linda, about east of the towns of Marysville, California, Marysville and Yuba City, and abo ...

(realigned) *

Bergstrom Air Force Base Bergstrom Air Force Base was located seven miles southeast of Austin, Texas. In its later years, it was a major base for the United States Air Force (USAF) RF-4C Phantom reconnaissance fighter fleet. History Bergstrom was originally act ...

Carswell Air Force Base Carswell Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force (USAF) base, located northwest of Fort Worth, Texas. For most of its operational lifetime, the base's mission was to train and support heavy strategic bombing groups and wings. Carswe ...

(turned over to the

United States Navy Reserve The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...

and realigned as Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth) * Castle Air Force Base * Eaker Air Force Base * England Air Force Base * Fleet Combat Direction Systems Support Activity San Diego (realigned) *

Fort Benjamin Harrison Fort Benjamin Harrison was a U.S. Army post located in suburban Lawrence Township, Marion County, Indiana, northeast of Indianapolis, between 1906 and 1991. It is named for the 23rd United States president, Benjamin Harrison. History In 190 ...

Fort Chaffee Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center, also known as Fort Chaffee, is an Arkansas Army National Guard Military base, installation located in western Arkansas, adjacent to the city of Fort Smith, Arkansas, Fort Smith. Established as Camp C ...

(turned over to the Arkansas Army National Guard) *

Fort Devens Fort Devens is a United States Army Reserve military installation in the towns of Ayer, Massachusetts, Ayer and Shirley, Massachusetts, Shirley, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County and Harvard, Massachusetts, Harvard in Worcester ...

(turned over to the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed ...

and realigned as Devens Reserve Forces Training Area) *

Fort Ord Fort Ord is a former United States Army post on Monterey Bay on the Pacific Ocean coast in California, which closed in 1994 due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action. Most of the fort's land now makes up the Fort Ord National Monument, ...

* Fort Novosel (realigned) * Grissom Air Force Base (realigned as

Grissom Air Reserve Base Grissom Air Reserve Base is a United States Air Force base, located about north of Kokomo, Indiana, Kokomo in Cass County, Indiana, Cass and Miami County, Indiana, Miami counties in Indiana. The facility was established as a U.S. Navy installa ...

) * Hunters Point Annex * Integrated Combat Systems Test Facility San Diego * Letterman Army Institute of Research (disestablished) *

Loring Air Force Base Loring Air Force Base was a United States Air Force installation in northeastern Maine, near Limestone and Caribou in Aroostook County. It was one of the largest bases of the U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command during its existence, and was ...

Lowry Air Force Base Lowry Air Force Base (Lowry Field from 1938–1948) is a former United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) training base during World War II and a United States Air Force (USAF) training base during the Cold War. From 1955-1958, it served as the i ...

* Marine Corps Air Station Tustin * Myrtle Beach Air Force Base * Naval Air Station Chase Field *

Naval Air Station Moffett Field Moffett Federal Airfield , also known as Moffett Field, is a joint civil-military airport located in an unincorporated part of Santa Clara County, California, United States, between northern Mountain View and northern Sunnyvale. On November 1 ...

* Naval Air Warfare Center Warminster * Naval Electronic Systems Engineering Center San Diego * Naval Electronic Systems Engineering Center Vallejo * Naval Electronic Systems Engineering Center * Naval Space Systems Activity Los Angeles * Naval Station Long Beach * Naval Station Philadelphia * Naval Station Puget Sound *

Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS) China Lake is a large military installation in California that supports the research, testing and evaluation programs of the United States Navy. It is part of Navy Region Southwest under Commander, Navy Instal ...

(realigned) *

Naval Air Station Point Mugu Naval Air Station Point Mugu was a United States naval air station near Oxnard, California, which operated as an independent base from 1941 to 2000, when it merged with nearby Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme to form Naval Base ...

* Philadelphia Naval Yard * Presidio of Monterey *

Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base Richards-Gebaur Memorial Airport is a former airport that operated alongside Richards-Gebaur Air Reserve Station (also Richards-Gebaur Air Force Station) until the base's closure in 1994, and until it was closed in 1999. Formerly, it was oper ...

Rickenbacker Air Force Base Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base is an Ohio Air National Guard installation at Rickenbacker International Airport near Lockbourne in southern Franklin County. The base was named for the famous early aviator and Columbus native Eddie R ...

(portion realigned as

Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base is an Ohio Air National Guard installation at Rickenbacker International Airport near Lockbourne in southern Franklin County. The base was named for the famous early aviator and Columbus native Eddie R ...

) * Sacramento Army Depot *

Williams Air Force Base Williams Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force (USAF) base, located in Maricopa County, Arizona, east of Chandler, Arizona, Chandler, and about southeast of Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix. It is a designated Superfund site due to a num ...

Wurtsmith Air Force Base Wurtsmith Air Force Base is a decommissioned United States Air Force base in Iosco County, Michigan. Near Lake Huron, it operated for seventy years, from 1923 until decommissioned in 1993. On January 18, 1994, Wurtsmith was listed as a Superfun ...

1993

The

1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

included: * Anniston Army Depot (realigned) * Camp Evans * Fort Wingate * Griffiss Air Force Base * Homestead Air Force Base (realigned as Homestead Air Reserve Base) * K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base *

March Air Force Base March Air Reserve Base (March ARB), previously known as March Air Force Base (March AFB), is located in Riverside County, California, between the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, and Perris. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Comm ...

(realigned as

March Air Reserve Base March Air Reserve Base (March ARB), previously known as March Air Force Base (March AFB), is located in Riverside County, California, between the cities of Riverside, California, Riverside, Moreno Valley, California, Moreno Valley, and Perri ...

) *

Mare Island Naval Shipyard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY or MINS) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean and was in service 142 years from 1854 to 1996. It is located on Mare Island, northeast of San Francisco, in Vallejo, Califor ...

* Marine Corps Air Station El Toro * Naval Air Station Agana * Naval Air Station Alameda *

Naval Air Station Barbers Point Naval Air Station Barbers Point , on O'ahu, home to John Rodgers (naval officer, World War I), John Rodgers Field (the original name of Honolulu International Airport), is a former United States Navy airfield closed in 1999, and renamed Kalaeloa ...

* Naval Air Station Cecil Field *

Naval Air Station Dallas A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations ...

(realigned as Grand Prairie Armed Forces Reserve Complex) * Naval Air Station Glenview * Naval Air Warfare Center Trenton * Naval Aviation Depot Alameda * Naval Aviation Depot Norfolk * Naval Aviation Depot Pensacola * Naval Electronic Systems Engineering Center, Saint Inigoes * Naval Hospital Charleston *

Naval Hospital Oakland Naval Hospital Oakland, also known as Oak Knoll Naval Hospital, was a United States Navy, U.S. naval hospital located in Oakland, California that opened during World War II (1942) and closed in 1996 as part of the 1993 Base Realignment and Closur ...

* Naval Hospital Orlando * Naval Reserve Center Gadsden * Naval Reserve Center Montgomery *

Naval Station Argentia Naval Station Argentia is a former base of the United States Navy that operated from 1941 to 1994. It was established in the community of Argentia in the Dominion of Newfoundland, which later became the tenth Canadian province, Newfoundland and ...

* Naval Station Charleston * Naval Station Mobile * Naval Station Staten Island * Naval Station Treasure Island * Naval Supply Center, Oakland *

Naval Training Center Orlando The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) is an Echelon IV command of the United States Navy, reporting to the Commander, Naval Air Warfare Center - Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland. NAWCTSD is loc ...

* Naval Training Center San Diego * Newark Air Force Base * O'Hare Air Reserve Station *

Plattsburgh Air Force Base Plattsburgh Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force (USAF) Strategic Air Command (SAC) base covering 3,447 acres (13.7 km) in the extreme northeast corner of New York, located on the western shore of Lake Champlain opposite Burl ...

* Vint Hill Farms Station *

1995

The

1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission The 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission preliminary list was released by the United States Department of Defense in 1995 as part of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission. It recommended closing 32 major United States military bases. ...

included: * Camp Bonneville * Castle Air Force Base * Fitzsimons Army Medical Center *

(turned over to the

Arkansas National Guard The Arkansas National Guard (ARNG), commonly known as the Arkansas Guard, is a component of the Politics and government of Arkansas, Government of Arkansas and the National Guard of the United States. It is composed of Arkansas Army National Guar ...

) *

Fort Greely Fort Greely is a United States Army launch site for anti-ballistic missiles located about southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska. It is also the home of the Cold Regions Test Center (CRTC), as Fort Greely is one of the coldest areas ...

(realigned) *

Fort Indiantown Gap Fort Indiantown Gap, also referred to as "The Gap" or "FIG", is a census-designated place and National Guard Training Center primarily located in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. A portion of the installation is located in eastern ...

(turned over to the

Pennsylvania National Guard The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia. With more than 18,000 per ...

) * Fort McClellan *

Fort Barfoot Fort Pickett, formerly Fort Barfoot, is a Virginia Army National Guard installation, located near the town of Blackstone, Virginia. Home of the Army National Guard Maneuver Training Center, Fort Pickett was originally named for the United ...

(turned over to the

Virginia National Guard The Virginia National Guard is part of the National Guard of the United States, a dual federal-state military reserve force. It consists of the Virginia Army National Guard and Virginia Air National Guard. (The Virginia State Defense Force i ...

) * Fort Ritchie *

Kelly Air Force Base Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. I ...

(realigned as Kelly Field) * Letterkenny Army Depot *

McClellan Air Force Base McClellan Air Force Base (1935–2001) is a former United States Air Force base in California, located in the North Highlands, California, North Highlands area of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County, northeast of Sacramento, Califo ...

* Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne * Naval Air Facility Adak *

Naval Air Station South Weymouth Naval Air Station South Weymouth was an operational United States Navy airfield from 1942 to 1997 in South Weymouth, Massachusetts. It was first established as a regular Navy blimp base during World War II. During the postwar era the base became ...

Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Warminster Naval Air Warfare Center Warminster was a U.S. Navy military installation located in Warminster, Pennsylvania and Ivyland, Pennsylvania. For most of its existence (1949–1993), the base was known as the Naval Air Development Center (NADC) ...

Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Indianapolis Naval Air Warfare Center, Indianapolis (NAWC) is a former United States Navy facility in Warren Township, Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. The plant opened in 1942, covering and employing some 3,000 in avionics research and development. The facility ...

* Naval Reserve Center Fayetteville * Naval Reserve Center Fort Smith * Naval Reserve Center Huntsville *

Naval Shipyard, Long Beach The Long Beach Naval Shipyard (Long Beach NSY or LBNSY), which closed in 1997, was located on Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles, approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles Internationa ...

* Naval Supply Center, Oakland *

Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division (NSWC Crane Division) is the principal tenant command located at Naval Support Activity Crane (NSA Crane) in Indiana. NSA Crane is a United States Navy installation located approximately southwest ...

* Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division * Oakland Army Base * Ontario Air National Guard Station *

Red River Army Depot The Red River Army Depot (RRAD) is an (24 sq. mi) depot-level maintenance facility west of Texarkana, Texas, in Bowie County. History RRAD was activated in 1941 to create an ammunition storage facility. Due to the demands of WWII, the mi ...

Reese Air Force Base Reese Air Force Base was a former U.S. Army Air Base located near Lubbock, Texas. It was closed in 1997 and converted into a research center. History Reese Air Force Base began as the Lubbock Army Air Corps Advanced Flying School in 1942. It ...

Roslyn Air National Guard Station Roslyn Air National Guard Station (ADC ID: P-3) is a closed United States Air Force station. It was located in East Hills, New York, on Long Island. It was originally part of Clarence MacKay's Harbor Hill estate. It was closed in 2000. Hist ...

* Savanna Army Depot Activity *

Seneca Army Depot The former Seneca Army Depot occupied between Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake in Seneca County, New York. It was used as a munitions storage and disposal facility by the United States Army from 1941 until the 1990s. The property was transferred t ...

* Ship Repair Facility, Guam * Sierra Army Depot (realigned) * Stratford Army Engine Plant

2005

The Pentagon released its proposed list for the

2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission preliminary list was released by the United States Department of Defense on May 13, 2005. It was the fifth Base Realignment and Closure ("BRAC") proposal generated since the process was created in ...

on May 13, 2005 (a date given the moniker "BRAC Friday," a

pun A pun, also known as a paronomasia in the context of linguistics, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from t ...

on Black Friday). After an extensive series of public hearings, analysis of DoD-supplied supporting data, and solicitation of comments from the public, the list of recommendations was revised by the 9-member Defense Base Closure and Realignments Commission in two days of public markups and votes on individual recommendations (the proceedings were broadcast by

C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American Cable television in the United States, cable and Satellite television in the United States, satellite television network, created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a Non ...

and are available for review on the network's website). The Commission submitted its revised list to the President on September 8, 2005. The President approved the list and notified Congress on September 15. The

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

took up a joint resolution to disapprove the recommendations on October 26, but the resolution failed to pass. The recommendations were thereby enacted. The Secretary of Defense must implement the recommendations no later than September 15, 2011. Major facilities slated for closure included: * Brooks Air Force Base, Texas, renamed

Brooks City-Base Brooks is a mixed-use development that was founded on the former Brooks Air Force Base when the United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. ...

after

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

assumed control *

Defense Finance and Accounting Service The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) is an agency of the United States Department of Defense (DOD), headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The DFAS was established in 1991 under the authority, direction, and control of the Under S ...

, New York (removed from list 2005) *

Ellsworth Air Force Base Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of the town of Box Elder. The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assigned to the Glob ...

, South Dakota (removed from list August 26, 2005) *

Fort Gillem Fort Gillem was a United States Army Post located in Forest Park, Georgia, on the southeast edge of Atlanta in Clayton County. Founded in 1941, it was a satellite installation of nearby Fort McPherson. The base housed different supply and suppo ...

, Georgia * Fort McPherson, Georgia * Fort Monmouth, New Jersey *

Fort Monroe Fort Monroe is a former military installation in Hampton, Virginia, at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula, United States. It is currently managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth o ...

, Virginia * Kulis Air National Guard Base, Alaska * Naval Air Station Brunswick, Maine * Naval Air Station Willow Grove Joint Reserve Base, Pennsylvania * Naval Station Ingleside, Texas * Naval Station Pascagoula, Mississippi *

Naval Submarine Base New London Naval Submarine Base New London is the primary United States Navy East Coast submarine base, also known as the "Home of the Submarine Force." It is located in Groton, Connecticut directly across the Thames River from its namesake city of New L ...

, Connecticut (removed from list August 24, 2005) * Navy Supply Corps School *

Otis Air National Guard Base Otis Air National Guard Base is an Air National Guard installation located within Joint Base Cape Cod, a military training facility located on the western portion of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It was known a ...

, Massachusetts (removed from list August 26, 2005) *

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNS), often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard on Seavey's Island in Kittery, Maine, bordering Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The naval yard lies along the southern boundary of Maine on ...

, Kittery, Maine (removed from list August 26, 2005) Major facilities slated for realignment include: * Army Human Resource Command (HRC), Missouri, moving to the

Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository (also known as Fort Knox), which is used to house a larg ...

Military Installation in Kentucky * Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico * Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska * Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska *

Fort Belvoir Fort Belvoir ( ) is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It was developed on the site of the former Belvoir (plantation), Belvoir plantation, seat of the prominent Lord ...

, Virginia * Fort Meade, Maryland * Fort Novosel, Alabama, Aviation Technical Test Center moving to the

Redstone Arsenal Redstone Arsenal is a United States Army base adjacent to Huntsville, Alabama in the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. A census-designated place in Madison County, Alabama, United States, it is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistica ...

, Alabama and combining with the Redstone Technical Test Center to form

U.S. Army Redstone Test Center U.S. Army Redstone Test Center, or RTC, is subordinate organization to the United States Army Test and Evaluation Command, a direct reporting unit of the United States Army responsible for developmental testing, independent evaluations, assessment ...

Grand Forks Air Force Base Grand Forks Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in northeastern North Dakota, located north of Emerado, North Dakota, Emerado and west of Grand Forks, North Dakota, Grand Forks. The host unit is the 319th Air Base ...

, North Dakota *

Naval Air Station Oceana Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana or NAS Oceana is a United States Navy Naval Air Station located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The station is located on 23.9 square kilometers. It has total of 250 aircraft deployed and buildings valued at $800 mi ...

, Virginia (extent contingent on reopening the former Naval Air Station Cecil Field in Florida) *

Naval Station Great Lakes Naval Station Great Lakes (NAVSTA Great Lakes) is the home of the United States Navy's only current recruit training, boot camp, located near North Chicago, Illinois, North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois, along Lake Michigan. Important tenan ...

, Illinois * Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina (transferred to the U.S. Army as Pope Army Airfield and merged with

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a United States Army, U.S. Army Military base, military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 m ...

) *

Rome Laboratory Rome Laboratory (Rome Air Development Center until 1991) is a U.S. Air Force research laboratory for " command, control, and communications" research and development and is responsible for planning and executing the USAF science and technology pr ...

, New York *

Walter Reed Army Medical Center The Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), officially known as Walter Reed General Hospital (WRGH) until 1951, was the United States Army, U.S. Army's flagship medical center from 1909 to 2011. Located on in Washington, D.C., it served more ...

, Washington, D.C. Twenty-six bases were realigned into 12 joint bases, with each joint base's installation support being led by the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, the Air Force, or the Navy. An example is Joint Base Lewis–McChord, Washington, combining Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base.

2015

The 2005 Commission recommended that Congress authorize another BRAC round in 2015 and every eight years thereafter. On May 10, 2012, the

House Armed Services Committee The U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee or HASC, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for funding and oversight of the Department of ...

rejected calls by the Pentagon for base closures outside of a 2015 round by a 44 to 18 vote. Defense Secretary

Leon Panetta Leon Edward Panetta (born June 28, 1938) is an American retired politician and government official who has served under several Democratic administrations as secretary of defense (2011–2013), director of the CIA (2009–2011), White House chi ...

had called for two rounds of base closures while at the same time arguing that the alternative of the sequester would be a "meat-ax" approach to cuts which would "hollow out" military forces. The

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 (; NDAA 2014Pub.L 113-66 is a United States federal law which specifies the budget and expenditures of the United States Department of Defense (DOD) for Fiscal Year 2014. The law auth ...

specifically prohibits authorization of future BRAC rounds. In May 2014, it was attempted to fund another round of BRAC, although funding was not approved in a vote in May of that year. In March 2015, the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment addressed the possibility of a future BRAC, indicating that the DOD, Defense Secretary

Ash Carter Ashton Baldwin Carter (September 24, 1954 – October 24, 2022) was an American government official and academic who served as the 25th United States secretary of defense from February 2015 to January 2017. He later served as director of the B ...

was requesting authority to conduct another BRAC. In September 2015, at the tenth anniversary of the end of the most recent BRAC commission report, its former chairman

Anthony Principi Anthony Joseph Principi (born April 16, 1944) was the fourth United States secretary of veterans affairs. He was appointed by President George W. Bush on January 23, 2001, and resigned on January 26, 2005. He Chaired the 2005 Defense Base Closu ...

wrote, "Now is the time to do what's right for our men and women in uniform. Spending dollars on infrastructure that does not serve their needs is inexcusable."

Appropriations

The following is a chronological timeline of authorizations for U.S. Congressional legislation related to U.S. defense installation realignments and military base closures.

References

External links

"Collection: Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission" at the UNT Digital Library
{{Authority control Base Realignment and Closure Commission United States defense policymaking Lists of United States military installations Military Superfund sites

Background

Law

Closures and realignments

1988

1990

1991

1993

1995

2005

2015

Appropriations

See also

References

External links