Senate Armed Services Committee to Consider Closing Excess Military Bases in US

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Senate Armed Services Committee chairman John McCain and ranking member Jack Reed will review closing bases in the United States the US military no longer wants, but local communities depend on for economic survival, according to media reports on Tuesday.

"We are seriously considering the issue of base closure and realignment [BRAC]," McCain was quoted as saying by The Hill. "Reliance on BRAC is a cowardly act because it shows we can't make the tough decisions ourselves."

Members of the US Congress have come under pressure from constituents whose income depends on providing goods and services to military personnel on the military bases and installations.

However, community impact is only one of the closure selection criteria, and the BRAC law states that military value is of greater priority.

The last base closure and realignment action was undertaken by President George W. Bush in 2005, when he approved shutting down dozens of excess military bases. However, the US Congress voted overwhelmingly to reject the then president’s recommendations.