In Closing Military Bases, Let’s Not Forget Equity

Barring major new international security threats, it’s likely that U.S. military spending will remain steady at around $260 billion, adjusted annually for inflation. At that level, the Pentagon worries that it will be hard put to find the money to give the services the costly new weapons systems they seek. So once again planners are taking a cold look at where spending cuts might be made, and once again officials are hinting at a new round of base closings.

That is, as always, bad news for California, which has long had more military facilities than any other state. For decades an economic blessing, that fact became a staggering liability when the end of the Cold War prompted four rounds of national base closings. By 1995, 22 major bases in California had been red-tagged, out of a total of 95 nationwide. These closings affected an estimated 123,000 jobs.

Whether there might be more to come will be decided by Congress, which would have to agree to a new commission to recommend base closings and commit itself to accept or reject the proposals. For now, a distinct lack of enthusiasm for revisiting the matter is apparent. But future action can’t be ruled out. Defense Secretary William Cohen notes that while military personnel have been cut by 33%, infrastructure costs have been reduced by only 18%. In an era when changing strategic considerations and revised national economic priorities dictate a smaller military, overhead costs cannot escape fair scrutiny.

Three major bases in California are seen as potentially vulnerable: Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons Station near Oxnard, China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station northeast of Los Angeles and Beale Air Force Base near Sacramento. Together these facilities employ more than 10,000 civilians and nearly 7,000 military personnel. Shutting them down would have a significant economic impact regionally, a consideration that earlier base-closing commissions were required to take into account. What also must be given weight are the losses California has already suffered.

It’s hard to justify maintaining redundant facilities. But clearly, equity must also be a high priority in any new round of base closings.