When the Department of Defense decides it has too much infrastructure, it can ask Congress to pass legislation allowing another round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) to begin. Inside the Pentagon, the mechanism is viewed as a vital tool to save money by consolidating bases around the country. But Congress is currently dead-set against it, leaving the department to seek savings elsewhere.

There were BRAC rounds in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995, but the most notorious is the 2005 edition. While the Pentagon says it is now enjoying the benefits of that effort, the 2005 drill was seen as excessively costly and left members of Congress, already sensitive to political ramifications of bases leaving various states, with a built-in aversion to further efforts.

Secretaries of Defense Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel and Ash Carter have all called for another round of BRAC efforts. Earlier this year, Pentagon officials testified that a 2019 round could save $2 billion a year, and in April, Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work sent a letter to the Hill, repeating the Pentagon's request.

In that April report, DoD stated that the Army's excess capacity is 33 percent; the Air Force's is 32 percent; the Defense Logistics Agency's is 12 percent, and the Navy's is 7 percent. But as soon as that analysis was released, members of Congress questioned the assumptions behind the Pentagon's figures and made it clear that BRAC authority would not be part of the fiscal 2017 budget plan. There are no indications it will pass Congress anytime soon.

Bob Hale, who served as Pentagon comptroller from 2009 to 2014, says that the five rounds of BRAC held since 1990 have resulted in savings of $12 billion dollars every year.

"Based on my experience, I believe that BRAC represents the single largest program efficiency that DoD has been able to implement," Hale, a member of the Defense News advisory board, said. "Congress should keep this history in mind as it considers whether to authorize another BRAC round."

This article is part of a larger Defense News 30-year anniversary project, showcasing the people, programs and innovations from the last three decades that most shaped the global security arena. Go to defensenews.com/30th to see all of our coverage.

About Aaron Mehta

Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.

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