Pentagon Determined to Shut More Bases, Cohen Says

Despite the strong objections of Congress, the Pentagon will insist on more military base closings, Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said Monday.

“There will have to be more rounds, period,” Cohen said in an interview with the Associated Press.

In a decisive defeat for Cohen earlier this summer, Congress rejected his plea to authorize a new round of base closings in 1999 and 2001. The Joint Chiefs of Staff had supported Cohen, arguing that the billions of dollars to be saved by closing bases is needed to finance new weapons systems.

“I knew from the beginning this is very difficult,” Cohen said. He acknowledged that many members of Congress feel an obligation to shield communities from the economic distress of base closing.

“Many of the communities that go through these experiences, they’re not eager to endure the kind of short-term pain that one has to endure,” before the loss of military jobs is replaced by new commercial opportunities at a base, Cohen said.

Four previous rounds, including the last in 1995, resulted in the closing of 98 domestic bases. The cuts parallel a broader shrinking of the military.

Cohen said it would take more time to develop persuasive arguments as to why communities and their legislative representatives should not fear more base closings.

“Once you can demonstrate, case by case, by showing those facilities that have been closed and been converted to commercial use [where] jobs are not only restored but actually increased, then I think you can make a case a lot easier,” he said.