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Washington escapes major
base closures,
region gains military personnel
Rep. Barbara Bailey, R-Oak
Harbor, says many people in Washington breathed a collective sigh of
relief this morning after learning that no major military bases in the
state would be closed and several would gain personnel.
"We dodged a very large
bullet in this round. It’s a very good day for our state and we are very
relieved," said Bailey, whose district includes the Whidbey Island Naval
Air Station.
According to the base
closure and realignment (BRAC) list sent to Congress today, Washington
not only retains its military bases, but realignments will bring more
personnel to the state. The biggest beneficiaries would be Naval Station
Bremerton, which would be increased by 1,400 personnel, and Fort Lewis,
which would gain 230 employees. NAS Whidbey stands to gain 139
personnel. McChord Air Force Base, which adjoins Fort Lewis south of
Tacoma, would lose 567 employees.
Several smaller reserve centers in Washington will be closed including:
1LT Richard H. Walker U.S. Army Reserve Center, the Army National Guard
Reserve Center in Everett, the Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center in
Tacoma, and the U.S. Army Reserve Center, Fort Lawton, in Seattle.
Although most of the
action in Washington involves realignments, Bailey, a member of the
state’s Joint Committee on Veterans’ and Military Affairs, said that
she’s very pleased with the outcome.
"Our military bases in
Washington are not only important to our state’s economy, but these
decisions also affect thousands of families across our state. They are
our next-door neighbors. They are the volunteers in our schools. They
are mothers and fathers with children. We greatly value the men and
women in uniform who serve in our state with honor to defend our
freedoms," said Bailey. "That is why people throughout our communities,
including the NAS Whidbey Task Force, our local elected officials, and
many other citizens have rallied to the support of our military bases
and their personnel. That show of support, the efforts of the
Legislature, the governor’s office and our Congressional delegation is
largely the reason for today’s outcome."
Bailey noted that it’s not
the first time the Whidbey Naval Air Station has dodged a bullet from
BRAC. In 1991, the Navy plan was to shift Whidbey’s 250 warplanes and
personnel to Lemoore Naval Air Station near Fresno, Calif., but a
citizens’ task force used the Navy’s own data to persuade the closure
panel to reverse the Pentagon recommendation.
"We have gone through the
pain of dealing with this before. Because of our inclusion on the 1991
list, the City of Oak Harbor and Island County joined forces to make
significant changes, both in land use regulations and community
involvement, in support of our NAS Whidbey," said Bailey. "I’m very
pleased that in this latest BRAC review, the Department of Defense has
recognized the importance of NAS Whidbey as well as the vital roles
involving our other military bases in Washington for the strategic
defense of our nation and economic well-being of our state."
# # #
For more information, contact:
John
Handy, Assistant Director: (360) 786-5758
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