How many times will Utah have to fight BRAC battle?
The state just survived the latest round of base closures, escaping with just six lost jobs on local military installations. But another round could come again in five years, and another five years after that, said Jim Hansen, the former Utah congressman who is currently serving on the Base Realignment and Closure Commission.
In an interview with the Deseret Morning News on Monday, Hansen said a bill due to the president Sept. 8 will most likely include a recommendation to hold a BRAC every five years. However, Hansen said he didn't support a base closure round every five years and said a 10-year interval is the better option.
The recommendation likely won't fly with Congress. In the past, lawmakers have repeatedly tried to block base closure rounds. In July, the Bush administration threatened to veto a massive defense bill if it included an amendment that would "weaken, delay or repeal" the base closure process.
"Unless they made it easier and smoother than they did this one, I don't think it's going to happen," said Rick Mayfield, executive director of the Utah Defense Alliance, the group charged with protecting the state's military installations. "I just have a hard time thinking Congress would be up for it every five years."
"As difficult as it may be, our nation should regularly re-examine our military infrastructure," Principi said. "Failure to do so will inevitably drag down our defense with the sea anchor of unneeded, obsolete or poorly sited installations."
If Congress agrees and allows another BRAC round in five years, Hansen said you won't see him on the commission. Hansen called his past five months touring the country on military aircraft on little sleep "the toughest job I've ever had."
The constant travel, coupled with the unenviable job of shutting down entire communities, was enough to convince Hansen to never sign up as a BRAC commissioner again.
"If I was called five years from now, if I'm alive, I wouldn't do that job for a million dollars a day — not even if they offered me Air Force One," Hansen said. "It is the most draining job I've ever done, dealing with people and their lives."
After his appointment, some Utah leaders thought Hansen would use his clout and position as a BRAC member to save Hill Air Force Base.
During his 22 years in the House, Hansen fought to defend the base in prior BRAC rounds. He used his position as senior member of the House Armed Services Committee to go toe-to-toe with President Bill Clinton in a battle during the '95 BRAC round to save Hill from a relocation to California.
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