By CLARKE CANFIELD,Associated Press Writer

BRUNSWICK, Maine (AP) – The Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted Wednesday to close the Brunswick Naval Air Station, a move that could eliminate New England’s last remaining active military air base.

The commission voted 7-to-2 to close the base, which would result in the loss of more than 4,800 jobs and the transfer of 40 planes to a military base in Jacksonville, Fla.

Commissioners said scaling back the base would have resulted in job losses while preventing local and state officials from redeveloping the base.

Commissioner Harold Gehman said New England has Air Guard and reserve bases that could be used to accommodate surveillance aircraft if needed in the future.

The base was commissioned in 1943 and now employs about 4,800 military, civilian and reservist personnel, according to base officials. It puts approximately $187 million into the local economy, including $115 million in salaries.

The Defense Department in May recommended that Brunswick’s mission be changed and its operations cut back as part of the massive reorganization of the U.S. military.

Under the Pentagon’s proposal, the air station would have been stripped of its aircraft and have its status downgraded to “Naval Air Facility” while retaining the capability of an active-duty airfield, only without any planes.

Job losses would have totaled 2,317 military personnel and 61 civilians, and the base’s 37 P-3 Orions sub-hunting surveillance plans and three C-130 Hercules transport planes would be moved to Jacksonville, Fla.

Air station supporters argued that closing or scaling back the air station would leave the Northeast vulnerable to unknown future threats. Brunswick, they said, is the only military facility capable of aerial surveillance and interdiction of the Northeast coast and has high military value with unencumbered air space and capacity for expansion.

They further claimed that the Defense Department’s cost savings estimate was flawed and that the actual savings would be just $26 million over 20 years.

Commissioners began voting Wednesday on Defense Department recommendations for hundreds of military installations. The voting is expected to continue into Friday.

The commission will forward its recommendations to President George Bush by Sept. 8. He has until Sept. 23 to accept or reject the list in its entirety.