SENATOR COLLINS CALLS FOR HALT TO BRAC PROCESS FOLLOWING PRESIDENT’S ANNOUNCEMENT TO REALIGN US TROOPS OVERSEAS

Washington, DC – Senator Susan Collins called again for an end to the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, in light of President Bush's announced plan to remove as many as 70,000 US troops from Europe and Asia. The plan would result in the return of many of those troops to the US along with more than 100,000 relatives and civilian military personnel.

The following is Senator Collins' statement:

"I support the President's proposal to realign these troops. The move is necessary in the post-Cold War era to ensure that our resources are positioned to better reflect our current needs and challenges, particularly in the war on terrorism.

"However, we must recognize that the military will now have to accommodate these troops, the additional military responsibilities that the realignment suggests, and the troops' families here in the US. It would be irresponsible for the BRAC Commission to proceed with the evaluation process based on the force structure plan that was submitted in March, before the Administration released this new plan.

"In addition, I maintain that we are at war and will be at war with terrorists for the foreseeable future. Now is not the time to close our domestic military bases when the country is in the midst of a war and our future force structure needs are unclear. I will continue to support efforts to stop BRAC until we can create a better process for determining whether there is excess capacity in our system of military bases, keeping foremost in mind the needs for defense and homeland security."

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