The 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission preliminary list was released by 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 ...
in 1995 as part of the
Base Realignment and Closure Commission. It recommended closing 32 major
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. A military base always provides accommodations for ...
s.
Commissioners
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Alan J. Dixon, Chairman
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Alton W. Cornella
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Rebecca G. Cox
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James B. Davis (general), USAF (Ret.)
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S. Lee Kling
*RADM
Benjamin F. Montoya, USN (Ret.)
*MS
Josue Robles, Jr., USA (Ret.)
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Wendi L. Steele
Justification
Over the past 57 years military base closures have taken place though various processes. The Secretary of Defense implemented closures on an ad-hoc basis during 1961 - 1979. Individual service Chiefs and Congress strengthened its veto power for closures during 1980 to 1987. These changes lead to a few major bases being closed and none actually being closed. This being an issue, Congress finally granted authority to an independent Defense Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) commission to work with the
Department of Defense (DoD) to identify bases and installations to the executive and legislative branches for closure or realignment between 1988 and 1995. The BRAC had to responsibility of selecting which bases were to close throughout four rounds of base closures. Even though these BRAC actions represented a large amount of physical reductions in installations and associated units, the DoD continued to request more infrastructure cuts to offset reduced congressional funding for defense. Additional BRAC rounds were requested by 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 ...
(DoD) because there continues to be a significant disparity between support structure capacity versus the number of units and associated military personnel levels. Congress however delayed providing additional BRAC legislation until the fall/winter of 2002.
DoD had reported to congress that billions of dollars could be saved annually if excess base infrastructure could be eliminated .
[Webster, S., & Lyons, Donald I. (2004). ''National Patterns and Community Impacts of Major Domestic United States Military Base Closures, 1988--present,'' ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.]
All three of the BRAC rounds of the 1990s (1991, 1993, and 1995) were authorized under the same law, Public Law 101-510.
Recommendations
Major facilities slated for closure included:
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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 ...
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Camp Bonneville
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Castle Air Force Base
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Fitzsimons Army Medical Center
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Fort Chaffee
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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 ...
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Fort Indiantown Gap
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Fort McClellan
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Fort Pickett
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Fort Ritchie
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Kelly Air Force Base
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Letterkenny Army Depot
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McClellan Air Force Base
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Military Ocean Terminal at Bayonne
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Naval Air Facility Adak
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Naval Air Station South Weymouth
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Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Warminster
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Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division, Indianapolis
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Naval Shipyard, Long Beach
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Naval Supply Center, Oakland
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Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division
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Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division
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Oakland Army Base
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Ontario Air National Guard Station
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Red River Army Depot
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Reese Air Force Base
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Roslyn Air National Guard Station
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Savanna Army Depot Activity
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Seneca Army Depot
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Ship Repair Facility, Guam
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Sierra Army Depot
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Stratford Army Engine Plant
See also
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Loss of Strength Gradient
References
{{reflist
External links
1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendationsDepartment of the Army Analyses and Recommendations, Volume IIIJames Landrith Archive of 1995 DBCRC Report
1995 in the United States
Base Realignment and Closure Commission