STATEMENT OF SENATOR SUSAN COLLINS ON HER VOTE TO CANCEL UPCOMING 2005 BASE CLOSURE ROUND

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Susan Collins, the sole member of the Maine congressional delegation who serves on the Armed Services Committee, today issued the following statement after voting in favor of an amendment to the Defense Department Authorization Bill that would have cancelled a round of base closures scheduled to begin in 2005:

"The base closure process in the past has been very unfair to communities that host a military installation across the country, and I do not believe we ought to employ that method again to streamline defense spending. Furthermore, it is premature to undertake base closures until we know the answers to a number of outstanding questions about the length of the war on terror and our military's infrastructure needs.

"It is exactly the wrong time to reduce our base infrastructure as our country continues to prosecute the ongoing war on terrorism. In addition, t he United States is in the midst of reevaluating the need for some of its overseas bases. It would be short-sighted to tinker with our inventory of domestic bases until we complete this evaluation. For example, should we close some of our overseas bases, we will need to relocate troops stationed there to bases in the U.S.

"Furthermore, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld is reviewing our force structure. Until he submits his proposal that outlines the new contours of the military, it will be impossible to make an informed decision about our military's infrastructure needs.

"For these reasons, I voted to cancel the round of base closures that is scheduled to begin in 2005."