BRAC COMMISSION VOTES TO CLOSE OTIS, MOVE 102nd TO BARNES
Political Desk
August 26, 2005
Massachusetts’s senior elected leaders were baffled by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission’s vote to close Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod. The decision by the independent commission will result in the relocation of the 102nd Fighter Wing to Barnes Municipal Airport Air Guard Station in Western Massachusetts.
Senator Kennedy said, “We’re greatly disappointed that the BRAC commissioners did not take Otis off the list for closure. Given the strength of our case, we’ll have to look at the commission’s data carefully to figure out how they could have made this decision and determine its effect on Massachusetts and national security.”
We made a compelling, factual case to keep Otis open and it is very disappointing that the Commission disagrees with us,” said Governor Mitt Romney.
The vote follows a three-month intensive effort to overturn the closure recommendation, led by the political leaders, the Otis Coalition of base-area community leaders, and the Massachusetts Air National Guard. The group made a series of strong and detailed arguments to the BRAC Commission demonstrating that the recommendation to close Otis was based on a flawed Air Force analysis which miscalculated the base’s military value -- the most important single criterion of the decision process -- as well as the amount of money that the Federal Government could save by closing Otis.
The Commission's decision makes no sense. I will continue to explore congressional and legal options to keep Otis open and keep the A-10s at Barnes. The Fighter Wings at Otis and Barnes are superb units that play a critical role in our defense and homeland security. I'm also concerned that the Commission’s decision will undermine the ability of the Coast Guard to continue their life-saving work out of Otis,” said Senator John Kerry.
The Pentagon, and now the BRAC commission, got it dead wrong,” said Congressman William Delahunt. “Closing Otis puts both the Coast Guard mission on the Cape and our nation's homeland defense at serious risk. It is my hope the Governor and Attorney General will continue to pursue all possible legal avenues available to the state. As the BRAC plan moves to the Congress, I will do all I can to defeat it legislatively.”
The Defense Department used incorrect data to calculate Otis’s military value during its internal closure review. The miscalculations led the Air Force to rank Otis 88th among all Air Force facilities for suitability as a fighter base. Among the data errors were a failure to give Otis credit for its proximity to large airspace training ranges where the 102nd’s pilots fly their planes, and underestimating the size of the base’s hangars and ramp space for storing aircraft. When Air Guard analysts reran the calculations using the correct data, Otis’ ranking jumped from 88th to 24th, a rating that clearly justified keeping Otis open.
On the cost issue, another miscalculation led the Air Force to predict savings of $336 million over 20 years from closing the base and other related changes in Air National Guard force structure. On further scrutiny, Massachusetts leaders determined that closing Otis would actually cost taxpayers$163 million over the same time period. This represented an overstatement of savings by the Air Force of nearly half-a-billion dollars.
The potential closure of Otis also threatens the continued presence of the Coast Guard’s Air Station on Cape Cod. Therefore, the future of the only Coast Guard air unit for search, rescue, and interdiction missions in the Northeast remains in question.
When the BRAC Commission completes its final deliberations on Friday, it will have until September 8th to forward to the President its list of recommended base closures and realignments. The President then has until September 23rd to forward the report to Congress or return it to the Commission for further evaluation.
If the President returns the list to the Commission, the panel then has until October 20 to resubmit its list to the President with any amendments it may choose to make. The President would then have until November 7 to send the list to Congress. If the President fails to send the list to Congress, the BRAC process terminates without implementation.
If the President sends the list to Congress, it has 45 days during which it can reject the full list by enacting a joint resolution. Otherwise, the BRAC list becomes law.
Senator Kennedy said, “We’re greatly disappointed that the BRAC commissioners did not take Otis off the list for closure. Given the strength of our case, we’ll have to look at the commission’s data carefully to figure out how they could have made this decision and determine its effect on Massachusetts and national security.”
We made a compelling, factual case to keep Otis open and it is very disappointing that the Commission disagrees with us,” said Governor Mitt Romney.
The vote follows a three-month intensive effort to overturn the closure recommendation, led by the political leaders, the Otis Coalition of base-area community leaders, and the Massachusetts Air National Guard. The group made a series of strong and detailed arguments to the BRAC Commission demonstrating that the recommendation to close Otis was based on a flawed Air Force analysis which miscalculated the base’s military value -- the most important single criterion of the decision process -- as well as the amount of money that the Federal Government could save by closing Otis.
The Commission's decision makes no sense. I will continue to explore congressional and legal options to keep Otis open and keep the A-10s at Barnes. The Fighter Wings at Otis and Barnes are superb units that play a critical role in our defense and homeland security. I'm also concerned that the Commission’s decision will undermine the ability of the Coast Guard to continue their life-saving work out of Otis,” said Senator John Kerry.
The Pentagon, and now the BRAC commission, got it dead wrong,” said Congressman William Delahunt. “Closing Otis puts both the Coast Guard mission on the Cape and our nation's homeland defense at serious risk. It is my hope the Governor and Attorney General will continue to pursue all possible legal avenues available to the state. As the BRAC plan moves to the Congress, I will do all I can to defeat it legislatively.”
The Defense Department used incorrect data to calculate Otis’s military value during its internal closure review. The miscalculations led the Air Force to rank Otis 88th among all Air Force facilities for suitability as a fighter base. Among the data errors were a failure to give Otis credit for its proximity to large airspace training ranges where the 102nd’s pilots fly their planes, and underestimating the size of the base’s hangars and ramp space for storing aircraft. When Air Guard analysts reran the calculations using the correct data, Otis’ ranking jumped from 88th to 24th, a rating that clearly justified keeping Otis open.
On the cost issue, another miscalculation led the Air Force to predict savings of $336 million over 20 years from closing the base and other related changes in Air National Guard force structure. On further scrutiny, Massachusetts leaders determined that closing Otis would actually cost taxpayers$163 million over the same time period. This represented an overstatement of savings by the Air Force of nearly half-a-billion dollars.
The potential closure of Otis also threatens the continued presence of the Coast Guard’s Air Station on Cape Cod. Therefore, the future of the only Coast Guard air unit for search, rescue, and interdiction missions in the Northeast remains in question.
When the BRAC Commission completes its final deliberations on Friday, it will have until September 8th to forward to the President its list of recommended base closures and realignments. The President then has until September 23rd to forward the report to Congress or return it to the Commission for further evaluation.
If the President returns the list to the Commission, the panel then has until October 20 to resubmit its list to the President with any amendments it may choose to make. The President would then have until November 7 to send the list to Congress. If the President fails to send the list to Congress, the BRAC process terminates without implementation.
If the President sends the list to Congress, it has 45 days during which it can reject the full list by enacting a joint resolution. Otherwise, the BRAC list becomes law.
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