Washington, D.C.- the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today endorsed Senator John McCain’s (R-AZ) legislation authorizing two new rounds of Base Realignment and Closures (BRAC) in the U.S. military, to occur in 2003 and 2005.  

“We applaud Sen. McCain’s leadership in reducing and streamlining the military,” CAGW President Thomas A. Schatz said.  “As the U.S. prepares to overhaul and redesign its fighting forces for the 21^st century, savings from base closings can be used to meet national security needs around the world.”

The principle behind BRAC is to make it more politically palatable for members of Congress to close military installations in their own states and districts.  The commission helps make objective, nonpartisan judgments about which bases remain essential to national defense, thereby diffusing responsibility for cuts. 

"Currently, the Pentagon's budget is weighed down by an estimated 23 percent excess in base capacity that costs billions of taxpayer dollars each year to maintain,” Schatz also said.  “That kind of mismanagement is inexcusable for taxpayers as well as the men and women in uniform.”  

The Department of Defense (DOD) estimates the totals of previous BRAC efforts will be $15 billion through fiscal year 2001, $25 billion by 2015, and $3 billion annually thereafter.

“While communities may be concerned about the economic impact of local base closings, history shows such transition actually opens up space and resources to better jobs and greater opportunities,” Schatz added.  “Schatz added. 

According to the DOD, across the U.S. about 60,000 new jobs have been created at closing bases.  At bases closed more than two years, nearly 75 percent of civilian jobs have been replaced.

“Senator McCain is taking a bold step in reaffirming his commitment to the military,” Schatz added.  “His work to increase the efficiency of the military by supporting the new BRAC will ensure our military remains the best in the world.”

CCAGW is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization with over a million members and supporters, dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in government.