With the support of a brand-new coalition of budget and military watchdog organizations, the Pentagon is seeking Congressional approval to close excess military bases which drain $5.6 billion from the federal budget every year.

The Defense Department’s (DOD) request for two more rounds of military base closures in 2001 and 2005 would continue a process that has been widely regarded as a success. An independent commission of outside experts reviews the entire domestic base structure of the U.S. and proposes a list of bases for closure or reorganization. Because Congress casts an up-or-down vote on a package of recommendations, the process has successfully limited political deal-making. Preliminary figures indicate the initial rounds of base closures will save more than $56.7 billion.

A new round of base closures would consolidate military strengths and free up funds to give back to taxpayers or pay for higher priority defense needs. Defense Secretary William Cohen has warned that weapons modernization and long-term readiness are threatened by what the DOD calls the “budgetary drain of excess infrastructure.” According to a senior Air Force official: “We can’t remain as inefficient as we are, being spread so thin. … We have too few wings spread out on all that concrete.”

TCS is a member of the new coalition formed just this week to support DOD’s request. Members come from all political perspectives and include Business Executives for National Security (BENS).

Despite the promise of budget savings and improved military readiness, the Senate failed to approve the Pentagon’s request last year.

Stadium Subsidies

A new website criticizing corporate welfare for new professional sports stadiums argues that an estimated $11 billion of public funds over the course of the 1990s plus billions more in hidden tax subsidies and “infrastructure” improvements have been wasted. The site, touting an upcoming book on the subject, Field of Schemes,