Arlington, VA — The newly-proposed House defense appropriation bill would prohibit a new round of base realignment and closure (BRAC), a common sense cost-saving measure that would save taxpayers millions and make the Pentagon more efficient.
Last year, the Department of Defense (DOD) estimated that they will have 22 percent excess capacity at bases across the world by 2019. The last five rounds of BRAC since 1988 have allowed the DOD to reap nearly $12 billion in savings every year. The 2005 BRAC is now producing $4 billion in savings a year, even though there were higher-than-expected upfront costs.
Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) Policy Director Dan Caldwell issued the following statement:
“To maintain its excess base capacity, the Pentagon spends money that could be better directed towards important items like training, weapons, personnel — or not spent at all. We are disappointed that the House is trying to prohibit a common-sense measure that will make our military stronger and save taxpayers billions.”
CVA recently released its NDAA recommendations for 2018, which included the elimination of excess infrastructure through a BRAC process. The group joined the Cato Institute and forty other organizations to sign a bipartisan coalition letter in support of BRAC.
The President’s proposed budget for the FY2018 included a BRAC in 2021.
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