BRAC member says NAS Fallon will 'undoubtedly' stay

[NVMojo]

Why that idiot Rumsfeld has so much power to chose base closures is beyond me. Especially after he so screwed up the "war" in Iraq.

NAS Fallon and its Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center are considered "irreplaceable and top priorities" by the Pentagon and "undoubtedly" will be exempted from the upcoming round of military base closings, a member of the base closing commission said Friday.

"But I can't guarantee anything. I don't know what's in Don Rumsfeld's head," said former Nevada Congressman James H. Bilbray, one of the nine members of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

Bilbray, one of BRAC's two Democrat members, was named to the commission three days ago by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, and his fellow BRAC members will begin studying Rumsfeld's choices for base closures when they are announced May 16.

The commission, Bilbray said in an interview, will hold regional public hearings and will visit installations proposed by Rumsfeld for closure, realignment or downsizing.

In early September, BRAC will present its findings to President George Bush and Congress. A simple majority of BRAC may preserve bases recommended by Rumsfeld for closure.

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http://www.lahontanvalleynews.com/article/20050321/News/103210006