The Department of Defense rejected the closure of Brunswick Naval Air Station because of the base's clear military value, specifically its strategic location, surge capability, and capacity to handle all DoD aircraft.
In its July 26th letter from Anne Davis, Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy for Base Realignment and Closure, the Navy put forth a compelling case for the retention of Brunswick. While this letter reiterates the Department's support for realignment, its assertions actually make a strong case against realignment and closure. Let me read the Navy's own words from this letter:
"Commander Fleet Forces Command supports retention of Brunswick … because it will support future requirements for homeland defense and surge capability. The specific Maritime Homeland Defense requirement is stated in terms of response time to any maritime threat against the northeast coast of the United States. Because this area is not a standard operating area for U.S. naval vessels, and because of the proximity of NAS Brunswick to the great circle navigation routes from Europe, P-3s operating out of NAS Brunswick currently provide the Maritime Homeland Defense initial response coverage.
"United States Northern Command, working in cooperation with the military departments and the U.S. Coast Guard, is developing an air-to-surface concept of operations that will address this responsiveness concern with other assets or force packages that will be combined with the current P-3 mission capabilities to facilitate maximum response flexibility.
Numerous sites in the northeast have been considered as potentially feasible locations to conduct P-3 detachment operations … and NAS Brunswick continues to be viewed by the Navy as the optimal site in New England."
The letter continues: "In addition to its location in the northeast, NAS Brunswick is an ideal location … because it has a fully functional weapons facility that can support all weapons available for deployment aboard the P-3, and because its geographic location permits armed aircraft to depart on maritime missions without flying over inhabited areas."
The letter goes on to say: "NAS Brunswick also has enormous strategic value as the last remaining active DoD airfield in the northeast. NAS Brunswick supports … several large NATO joint training exercise opportunities. In addition, NAS Brunswick is a critical logistics and refueling hub for DoD aircraft flowing in and out of the U.S. Central Command and U.S. European Command theatre of operations.
"Brunswick will also continue to function as an important location for aviation training, because it can and will remain capable of logistically supporting all of the aircraft currently in DoD inventory. Its utility is not limited to DoD aircraft, but includes aircraft of the Air National Guard and other Federal agencies."
Commissioners, these are not my words; they are the Navy's. Closing Brunswick would leave the Northeast more vulnerable to threats and would create an intolerable risk for the Department and the nation. Moreover, the DoD recommendation to realign Brunswick ignores what the Department itself describes as the base's "enormous strategic value."
Although Ms. Davis'' response in this letter is focused on using Brunswick for detachment operations, it clearly states that this naval air station is vital for the Maritime Homeland Defense of the northeast United States.
The closure or realignment of Brunswick, and the subsequent removal of the base's aircraft, would significantly and dangerously degrade operational readiness and would increase response time in emergencies. The proposed realignment would not meet the needs of Northern Command's homeland defense missions and would result in diminished effectiveness and lower efficiency, with numerous hidden costs associated with detachments.
Commissioners, closure or realignment would violate the BRAC criteria. The Navy, Department of Defense and national security are best served by a fully operational base at Brunswick. Thank you for your attention to our presentations.