Senator Murkowski Co-Sponsors Legislation to Postpone BRAC Recommendations

SENATOR MURKOWSKI CO-SPONSORS LEGISLATION TO POSTPONE BRAC RECOMMENDATIONS

BILL WOULD DELAY OR ALTER PROPOSED EIELSON REALIGNMENT

Saying that the 2005 recommendations on military base realignment and closures (BRAC) are premature and require more analysis, Sen. Lisa Murkowski co-sponsored legislation introduced today to postpone the BRAC recommendations.

The legislation introduced today by Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and co-sponsored by Sen. Ted Stevens, would delay the process until a complete analysis is conducted on overseas facility requirements, most troops return from Iraq, and several pending military reports and analyses are released and their impact on BRAC is determined. Required reports include two Homeland Security related reports and the Pentagon's long-term planning document, the Quadrennial Defense Review. The bipartisan bill would delay and possibly alter the base closings recommended by the Pentagon on May 13.

"As the BRAC commission has recommended all but closing Eielson Air Force base in Fairbanks, a base that is strategically significant to the country, it is right that we wait until soldiers return home and other annual military analyses have been completed before we make any dramatic military realignments," Sen. Murkowski said.

"The recent BRAC recommendations are far-reaching nationally and would have enormous effects on communities like Fairbanks. This legislation appropriately delays implementation of the recommendations until we have a more thorough inventory of our military assets and priorities."

http://murkowski.senate.gov/pressapp/record.cfm?id=237862