In the interest of national security, we cannot afford to close either NAS Brunswick or Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

Whether readers realize it or not, our anti-submarine warfare forces, together with our bombers and fast attack submarines, kept the Russian Bear at bay for many years and prevented nuclear devastation. We knew where they were all of the time; they didn’t know where we were any of the time, except when they were surprised.

This superiority kept us on top.

Sure, the Cold War is over with Russia for now, but there are others that will threaten our well-being in the not-so-distant future. These bases are vital to our continuing national interest to find and neutralize the threat. Brunswick provides the “eyes and ears,” Portsmouth the “meat and potatoes.” We need both to stay on top.

I personally visited NSY Alameda in California a few years after its closing. The industrial buildings sat vacant, the skilled craftsmen, long gone. What a travesty. We cannot let that happen here. We cannot afford to lose our upper hand and compromise our national security and interest. There are others who will take the Russian Bear’s place and threaten our well-being.

Closures will most assuredly place us at high risk.

Richard B. Scott, CWO4,

Civil Engineer Corps, U.S. Navy (retired),

West Paris

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