Sunday, August 26, 2001

Base defense

Lack of state support puts military installations at risk in base-closing process

AUSTIN - Texas has a long and proud military tradition, and recent talk of another round of base closings has many Texans nervous.
   In 1999, there were 233,549 military personnel in Texas, generating billions of dollars for local communities and the state as a whole.
   But that also means the Pentagon has more opportunities in Texas to close bases and implement other cost-cutting measures.
   The base-closing threat heated up on Aug. 2 when the Department of Defense announced it was drafting a proposal for a single round of base closures in 2003. The plan is called the Efficient Facilities Initiative of 2001.
   The Pentagon wants to save money so it can use more resources for recruitment, training and modernizing the military for the future.
   Of course, defense officials must convince Congress to authorize another round of base closings, which could be a tough sell. Members of Congress from military communities - including those in Texas - will fight to keep base closings off the agenda.
   Nevertheless, military communities in Texas are bracing for the worst and hoping for the best. They are looking to bolster local bases and prove to the Pentagon that their installations are an essential ingredient in the defense mix of the future.
   While base closings are primarily a local issue, the state can play a significant role in assisting communities with their efforts.
   And base closings are certainly a statewide issue if for no other reason than the impact on the Texas economy. The military and its related activities have an estimated annual impact of more than $38 billion in Texas.
   But state funding and commitment to defense efforts in Texas have been lukewarm compared with other states, such as California, Georgia and Florida.
   The Texas Legislature appropriated $20 million in 1997 to help communities that suffered base closings. But lawmakers did not renew the program.
   And other states are funding efforts to prevent those closings.
   Florida has initiated a program that pumps $7 million annually into existing bases to improve infrastructure.
   Georgia has a consulting firm in Washington to supply information on future base closings and new weapons systems being developed by the defense industry.
   "The program that Florida has in place to assist communities with active installations will make those installations more competitive and more difficult to close during the next round of BRAC,'' according to a recent report by the Texas Office of Defense Affairs. ''This will put Texas installations at a distinct disadvantage during those same BRAC hearings.''
   Recognizing the potential threat to military bases, Texas lawmakers in 1997 wisely created the Office of Defense Affairs and the nine-member Texas Strategic Military Planning Commission within the Texas Department of Economic Development.
   The mission of the Office of Defense Affairs and its commission is to develop a pro-active statewide strategy to prevent future defense closures and realignments and to assist defense-dependent communities to prepare for such actions.
   The office develops an annual report and assessment of bases in Texas, but lawmakers have never provided enough funding to make it as effective as it could be.
   And lawmakers several years ago made a major blunder by rejecting a proposal by the Office of Defense Affairs to hire a Washington-based consultant.
   The consultant would have monitored activities in the Pentagon that may threaten Texas bases. And the consultant could have alerted Texas communities to upcoming budget cuts, which are often more of a threat than the potential for base closures.
   But Texas lawmakers nixed the idea because they thought the agency wanted to hire a lobbyist. A consultant, not a lobbyist, with strong Pentagon ties could have provided crucial information to Texas communities.
   The Office of Defense Affairs should serve as a clearinghouse that provides information to communities and alerts them to potential budget cuts. A state-sponsored consultant in Washington is a valuable service for military communities.
   Now, some local communities are hiring their own consultants to prepare for another round of base closings.
   Texas legislators need to evaluate the statewide defense effort and either fund it appropriately or do away with it.
  
   Ty Meighan is chief of the Scripps Howard Austin Bureau and can be reached at 512-334-6640 or meighant@scripps.com.
  
  

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Ty Meighan is chief of the Scripps Howard Austin Bureau. You can reach him by phone at (512) 334-6640 or by email at meighant@scripps.com.

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