It has been interesting listening to our congressional delegation whine about the Base Realignment and Closure list released last month by the Pentagon. My sympathy is with the civilian workers who will be hurt by closing of any military facility. The question is how did we arrive at a point where members of Congress are openly charging the Pentagon with intentionally damaging the safety of the nation?

The primary duty of the military professionals working at the Pentagon is to ensure that our military forces are prepared to defend our country. They must provide the best equipment and facilities to each service with cost efficiency and the least waste under the budget provided by Congress. Their civilian counterparts must deal with the political realities of Washington, D.C.

Members of Congress have the same duty, but are looking at every military facility located in their district as irreplaceable and not to be closed for any reason. Re-election is always in mind. Our senators managed to insert a provision to require the building of a new class of warships at two facilities in a budget bill though the Navy was proposing a single yard build all of them.

Only a few years ago, some member of Congress managed to insert a Trident submarine into the budget although the Navy had not requested it. The power of some congressional committees is such that unwanted or unneeded facilities are foist upon the military services.

Military facilities have been built to respond to need for as long as we have been a nation. During World War II, we built air bases in great numbers to provide for training and support. What would become Kincheloe AFB was begun in 1943 to provide a refueling stop for transport aircraft enroute to Alaska. It was shut down in 1945. In 1952 (Korean War), the base was reactivated, along with Dow AFB, in 1951, as an air defense fighter base. In 1961 (Cold War), a Strategic Bomb Wing, with 15 B-52s and 10 KC-135s, was activated there. In 1965, the Defense Department announced the intention to close Kincheloe AFB by 1971. In 1971, the decision was reversed, but in September 1977 the base was deactivated and in November of that year declared excess.

There may have been a few minor facilities closed, but after the closing of Kincheloe AFB, Michigan, I don’t believe there was a major base closed until the first round of BRAC in 1988. Every time the Pentagon proposed closing a military base, the congressional delegation from that state would object to the closing, and the other senators or members of Congress would join them in rejecting the closing of the facility. The premise being was that that if they supported one another, they could prevent the loss of a base in their own district.

The necessity for closing some facilities is obvious.

When new aircraft replace older ones, the total number needed decrease. In 1960, Pease AFB had two B-47 wings, the 509th and 100th Bomb Wings, for a total of 90 bombers and two tanker squadrons with a total of 40 KC-97s. Comparable capability could be found in a B-52 Wing that would have a B-52 squadron with 15 bombers and a KC-135 squadron with 10-15 tankers. Today, a single B-2 Wing at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, has the capability of several B-52 Wings.

Improved technology has allowed us to accomplish the same mission with fewer aircraft or even with a missile or unmanned aerial vehicle. Smart bombs hit targets with less collateral damage and a reduced number of aircraft needed. Better computers allow for consolidation of tasks at fewer locations.

We need to close some facilities.

The P-3 aircraft stationed at Brunswick Naval Air Station are no longer doing the job for which they were originally built. The aircraft are old, probably no crew member on a P-3 is as old as the aircraft itself. This can also be said about the few B-52s still in service.

The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is doing a fine job and is rightly proud of its performance. But the yard is old, the threat that required high numbers of submarines has lessened and other yards located on the West Coast may better serve the need. The news reports keep repeating that everyone was aware that Portsmouth was at risk. If our representatives knew this, they must also have known why it would be on the list.

In Connecticut, Sen. Joe Lieberman practically charged the Pentagon with treason for listing the submarine base at New London, Conn., for closure. The governor of Connecticut provided $750,000 in the budget to fight this result, even before it was announced,

Maine should focus on what can be done when these changes happen. Think of the possibilities for the Portsmouth shipyard. The location would be attractive to many uses. To spend good money chasing a false hope is not useful.

Herbert Bunker Jr., Lt. Col. USAF (Ret.), lives in Auburn.

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