03/08/1999 01:35 PM Senate CRA

                                                                                                                                
        SJR 12-MILITARY BASE REALIGNMENT/CLOSURE ACTIONS                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHRIS NELSON, staff to the Joint Committee on Military Bases,                                                                   
stated the Secretary of Defense recently asked Congress to                                                                      
authorize two new rounds of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC)                                                                 
actions to occur in 2001 and 2005.  SJR 12 asks Congress to                                                                     
consider a thorough review of the entire BRAC process. Previous                                                                 
BRAC evaluations overlooked the key modern strategic factor of                                                                  
total force considerations. Alaska military bases were shortchanged                                                             
during those evaluations.   SJR 12 asks Congress to form joint                                                                  
cross service study groups to look at power projection, joint                                                                   
training and operations, and to make recommendations to the new                                                                 
BRAC Commission to reflect the fact that the structure of military                                                              
forces has changed and that military bases must now move toward a                                                               
total force orientation.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN KELLY stated SJR 12 asks that the BRAC Commission use new                                                              
criteria to consider the proximity and cooperation between army and                                                             
air force bases.  The two combined bases have more strength than                                                                
individual bases situated in distant locations.  The new criteria                                                               
will better reflect the strength of Alaska's military bases, which                                                              
is their proximity, and deflect from their weakness, which is a                                                                 
higher operational cost.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
There being no further testimony, SENATOR WARD moved SJR 12 out of                                                              
committee with individual recommendations.  There being no                                                                      
objection, the motion carried.