Official Military Base Closure List

Pentagon Proposing to Shut 33 Major Bases (WaPo – AP)

The Pentagon will propose shutting more than 150 military installations from Maine to Hawaii, including 33 major bases, The Associated Press learned Friday, triggering the first round of base closures in a decade and an intense struggle by communities to save their facilities. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld will also recommend a list of scores of other domestic bases from which thousands of troops would be withdrawn, or in some cases added from other installations in the United States or overseas. He has said the move would save $48.8 billion over 20 years while making the military more mobile and better suited for the global effort against terrorism.

Rumsfeld’s plan calls for a massive shift of U.S. forces that would result in a net loss of 29,005 military and civilian jobs at domestic installations. Overall, he proposes pulling 218,570 military and civilian positions out of some U.S. bases while adding 189,565 positions to others, according to documents obtained by The AP. The closures and downsizings would occur over six years starting in 2006. “Our current arrangements, designed for the Cold War, must give way to the new demands of the war against extremism and other evolving 21st Century challenges,” Rumsfeld said in a written statement.

Among the major closures were Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico, which would lose more than 2,700 jobs, the Naval Station in Ingleside, Texas, costing more than 2,100 jobs, and Fort McPherson in Georgia, costing nearly 4,200 jobs. Other major bases _ including the Army’s Fort Bliss in Texas, the Naval Shipyard in Norfolk, Va., and Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland _ would see gains, as they absorb troops whose current home bases are slated for closure.

Before closures or downsizings can take effect, the Defense Department’s proposal must be approved or changed by a federal base closing commission by Sept. 8, and then agreed to by Congress and President Bush, in a process that will run into the fall. In four previous rounds of closures starting in 1988, commissions have accepted 85 percent of bases the Pentagon recommended for closure or consolidation. However, the current commission’s chairman, Anthony Principi, has promised not to rubber stamp Rumsfeld’s list.

Full list in the extended entry. The remarkable thing about the list is that, while it’s very long, it contains essentially no noteworthy bases. I’ve highlighted the handful of even remotely notable bases below with bold text.

The Army, the service with which I’m most familiar, is taking the largest “hit” in terms of sheer numbers but it is closing nothing that the Army has an institutional attachment to. One will note with a quick scan the incredible number of Finance and Accounting centers being closed, indicating a major consolidation of functions.

It’s hard to call Fort McPherson, by far the biggest Army installation being targetted, “major” by any meaningful standard in Army terms.

Fort McPherson / Fort Gillem

Both Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem are small in area, but they are giants in the defense picture due to the many headquarters and tenant organizations. Forts McPherson and Gillem serve and support a number of “internal” audiences: Active Duty and Reserve Component soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, Department of Defense civilians, military retirees and family members. Both installations are good neighbors, U.S. Army Garrison, Fort McPherson, was named Atlanta’s fifth largest employer by the Atlanta Business Chronical in March 1999. Fort Gillem in Forest Park is Clayton County’s third largest employer according to the March 1999 Clayton County Chamber of Commerce survey.

Personnel assigned to Forts McPherson and Gillem are as follows: Active Duty, 3,510; Army Reserve, 2,359; Civilians, 5,038; Retirees, 29,430; Family Members, 36,843. In addition, from 4,500 to 5,000 local, state and international guests take tours of or book events at Forts McPherson and Gillem each year.

Fort McPherson, steeped in tradition and proud of its appearance and history, is a blend of the old and the new as it begins a second century of service to the nation. Fort McPherson is home to Forces Command (FORSCOM), U.S. Army Reserve Command (USARC), and Third U.S. Army. Fort McPherson is located in Southwest Atlanta, approximately four miles from downtown Atlanta and eleven miles from Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport. The installation sits on 487 acres; historic district sits on 33 acres and has 40 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fort McPherson was established in 1886 and became a permanent Army installation on May 4, 1889. On December 30, 1867, the post was named “McPherson Barracks” in honor of Major General James Birdseye McPherson, who was killed on July 22, 1864, during the Battle of Atlanta. Between the years 1867 and 1881, the barracks was garrisoned in turn by elements of the 2nd, 16th, and 18th U.S. Infantry Regiments and the 5th Artillery. Their mission was to enforce Union regulations during the reconstruction period following the Civil War. The installation sits on 487 acres; historic district sits on 33 acres and has 40 building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are 39 segments of internal roads which have been designated in honor of distinguished military personnel; 23 from the Civil War, 11 from WWII, and two are named for distinguished General Officers. Throughout its century of service to the country, the 505-acre post was used as a general hospital during World Wars I and II, a prisoner of war camp, training for the Civilian Conservation Corp, and as a separation center. Today, Fort McPherson is home to Forces Command (FORSCOM), Third United States Army, and United States Army Reserve Command (USARC).

Fort McPherson is home to Forces Command Headquarters, Third U.S. Army, and U.S. Army Reserve Command. As the Army’s largest major command, FORSCOM supervises the training of almost 800,000 Active, Army National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve soldiers to provide a strategic ground force capable of responding rapidly to crisis worldwide.

While McPherson has been around quite some time, its functions could be absorbed at Fort Benning or Fort Bragg with barely a ripple.

List of Proposed Military Base Closings (AP)

Alabama:

Abbott U.S. Army Reserve Center, Tuskegee

Anderson U.S. Army Reserve Center, Troy

Armed Forces Reserve Center, Mobile

BG William P. Screws U.S. Army Reserve Center, Montgomery

Fort Ganey Army National Guard Reserve Center, Mobile

Fort Hanna Army National Guard Reserve Center, Birmingham

Gary U.S. Army Reserve Center, Enterprise

Navy Recruiting District Headquarters, Montgomery

Navy Reserve Center, Tuscaloosa

The Adjutant General Bldg, AL Army National Guard, Montgomery

Wright U.S. Army Reserve Center

Alaska:

Kulis Air Guard Station

Arizona:

Air Force Research Lab, Mesa

Allen Hall Armed Forces Reserve Center, Tucson

Arkansas:

El Dorado Armed Forces Reserve Center

Stone U.S. Army Reserve Center, Pine Bluff

California:

Armed Forces Reserve Center Bell

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Oakland

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, San Bernardino

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, San Diego

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Seaside

Naval Support Activity Corona

Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, Detachment Concord

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Encino

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Los Angeles

Onizuka Air Force Station

Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant

Connecticut:

Sgt. Libby U.S. Army Reserve Center, New Haven

Submarine Base New London*

Turner U.S. Army Reserve Center, Fairfield

U.S. Army Reserve Center Maintenance Support Facility, Middletown

Delaware:

Kirkwood U.S. Army Reserve Center, Newark

Florida:

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Orlando

Navy Reserve Center, St. Petersburg

Georgia:

Fort Gillem

Fort McPherson

Inspector/Instructor, Rome

Naval Air Station Atlanta

Naval Supply Corps School, Athens

U.S. Army Reserve Center, Columbus

Hawaii:

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Honokaa

Idaho:

Navy Reserve Center, Pocatello

Illinois:

Armed Forces Reserve Center, Carbondale

Navy Reserve Center, Forest Park

Indiana:

Navy Marine Corps Reserve Center, Grissom Air Reserve Base, Bunker Hill

Navy Recruiting District Headquarters, Indianapolis

Navy Reserve Center, Evansville

Newport Chemical Depot

U.S. Army Reserve Center, Lafayette

U.S. Army Reserve Center, Seston

Iowa:

Navy Reserve Center, Cedar Rapids

Navy Reserve Center, Sioux City

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Dubuque

Kansas:

Kansas Army Ammunition Plant

Kentucky:

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Paducah

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Lexington

Navy Reserve Center, Lexington

U.S. Army Reserve Center, Louisville

U.S. Army Reserve Center, Maysville

Louisiana:

Baton Rouge Army National Guard Reserve Center

Naval Support Activity, New Orleans

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Baton Rouge

Roberts U.S. Army Reserve Center, Baton Rouge

Maine:

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Limestone

Naval Reserve Center, Bangor

Naval Shipyard Portsmouth

Maryland:

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Patuxent River

Navy Reserve Center, Adelphi

Pfc. Flair U.S. Army Reserve Center, Frederick

Massachusetts:

Malony U.S. Army Reserve Center

Otis Air Guard Base

Westover U.S. Army Reserve Center, Citopee

Michigan:

Navy Reserve Center Marquette

Parisan U.S. Army Reserve Center, Lansing

Selfridge Army Activity

W.K. Kellogg Airport Air Guard Station

Minnesota:

Navy Reserve Center Duluth

Mississippi:

Mississippi Army Ammunition Plant

Naval Station, Pascagoula

U.S. Army Reserve Center, Vicksburg

Missouri:

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Jefferson Barracks

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Kansas City

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, St. Louis

Marine Corps Support Center, Kansas City

Navy Recruiting District Headquarters, Kansas

Navy Reserve Center, Cape Girardeau

Montana:

Galt Hall U.S. Army Reserve Center, Great Falls

Nebraska:

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Columbus

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Grand Island

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Kearny

Naval Recruiting District Headquarters, Omaha

Navy Reserve Center, Lincoln

Nevada:

Hawthorne Army Depot

New Hampshire:

Doble U.S. Army Reserve Center, Portsmouth

Naval Shipyard Portsmouth

New Jersey:

Fort Monmouth

Inspector/Instructor Center, West Trenton

Kilmer U.S. Army Reserve Center, Edison

New Mexico:

Cannon Air Force Base

Jenkins Armed Forces Reserve Center, Albuquerque

New York:

Armed Forces Reserve Center, Amityville

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Niagra Falls

Carpenter U.S. Army Reserve Center, Poughkeepsie

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Rome

Navy Recruiting District Headquarters, Buffalo

Navy Reserve Center Glenn Falls

Navy Reserve Center Horsehead

Navy Reserve Center Watertown

Niagra Falls International Airport Air Guard Station

North Carolina:

Navy Reserve Center, Asheville

Niven U.S. Army Reserve Center, Albermarle

Ohio:

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Mansfield

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Westerville

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Dayton

Mansfield Lahm Municipal Airport Air Guard Station

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Akron

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Cleveland

Parrott U.S. Army Reserve Center, Kenton

U.S. Army Reserve Center, Whitehall

Oklahoma:

Armed Forces Reserve Center Broken Arrow

Armed Forces Reserve Center Muskogee

Army National Guard Reserve Center Tishomingo

Krowse U.S. Army Reserve Center, Oklahoma City

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Tulsa

Oklahoma City (95th)

Pennsylvania:

Bristol

Engineering Field Activity Northeast

Kelly Support Center

Naval Air Station Willow Grove

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Reading

North Penn U.S. Army Reserve Center, Morristown

Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station

Serrenti U.S. Army Reserve Center, Scranton

U.S. Army Reserve Center Bloomsburg

U.S. Army Reserve Center Lewisburg

U.S. Army Reserve Center Williamsport

W. Reese U.S. Army Reserve Center/OMS, Chester

Puerto Rico:

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Humacao

Lavergne U.S. Army Reserve Center, Bayamon

Rhode Island:

Harwood U.S. Army Reserve Center, Providence

USARC Bristol

South Carolina:

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Charleston

South Naval Facilities Engineering Command

South Dakota:

Ellsworth Air Force Base

Tennessee:

U.S. Army Reserve Area Maintenance Support Facility, Kingsport

Texas:

Army National Guard Reserve Center No. 2, Dallas

Army National Guard Reserve Center (Hondo Pass), El Paso

Army National Guard Reserve Center, California Crossing

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Ellington

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Lufkin

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Marshall

Army National Guard Reserve Center, New Braunfels

Brooks City Base

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, San Antonio

Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant

Naval Station, Ingleside

Navy Reserve Center, Lubbock

Navy Reserve Center, Orange

Red River Army Depot

U.S. Army Reserve Center No. 2, Houston

Utah:

Deseret Chemical Depot

Virginia:

Fort Moore

Washington:

1LT Richard H. Walker U.S. Army Reserve Center

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Everett

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Tacoma

U.S. Army Reserve Center, Fort Lawton

Vancouver Barracks

West Virginia:

Bias U.S. Army Reserve Center, Huntington

Fairmont U.S. Army Reserve Center

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Moundsville

Wisconsin:

Gen. Mitchell International Airport ARS

Navy Reserve Center, La Crosse

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Madison

Olson U.S. Army Reserve Center, Madison

U.S. Army Reserve Center, O’Connell

Wyoming:

Army Aviation Support Facility, Cheyenne

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Thermopolis

*Bolded on advice of knowledgable e-mailer.

Update (1209): Richard Gardner has a statistical analysis of the gainers and losers here. What’s particularly noteworthy from an Army perspective is how much the already large maneuver bases are gaining. In my view, that’s simply outstanding. The Army, more than ever, is a combined arms operation. There’s no reason to segregate small support functions away from the major combat arms operations centers.

FILED UNDER: Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. bryan says:

    Navy Reserve Center, Lubbock.

    Okay, I think it’s pretty safe to close that one. 🙂

  2. Regarding the lack of major bases being closed…

    The rounds of cuts in the 90’s established bases that are ‘unclosable’ (short of dramatic mililtary cutbacks). For example, Naval Station Norfolk, Naval Air Station Oceana (fighter base), Naval Training Center Great Lakes, etc. I suspect the other services were in the same situation. This round of cuts reinforces the situation.

  3. McGehee says:

    My old hometown is probably breathing a small sigh of relief that the list including Beale AFB was inaccurate. On the one hand, there had been four AFBs within 100 miles of Sacramento when I was growing up, which is clearly too many. On the other hand, the two actually in the immediate Sacramento area have already been closed, along with the Army Depot.

    Fort Richardson, outside of Anchorage, would not have surprised me if it were on the official list, but (1) Alaska already lost one Army installation in the last round, and (2) Ted Stevens is, I believe, still chairman of Senate Appropriations* — and you don’t piss off a guy with that much clout.

    *At the very least, he’s an extremely senior Senator whom a whole lot of his colleagues owe favors.

  4. Mike Dean says:

    I’m surprised that Portsmouth Shipyard ME/NH isn’t in bold type. This is the nations oldest continuously operating shipyard and one of the largest. It will have a very large impact on both the military and the civilian community.