U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs Committees

 

2300 15th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

 

 

For Immediate Release

August 5, 2005

CONTACT:    Cody Wertz – Press Secretary

                        202-228-3630

Jen Clanahan – Deputy Press Secretary

                        303-455-7600

 

SENATOR SALAZAR TO TESTIFY ON BEHALF OF DENVER DFAS

 

MONTEREY, CA – U.S. Senator Ken Salazar will travel to Monterey, California on Monday, August 8th to testify at a Defense Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission hearing on the potential closure of the Denver Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) facility located at the Buckley Annex.

In May, the Secretary of Defense announced his intention to consolidate 26 DFAS centers across the country down to three facilities, including the Buckley Annex. In July, the BRAC Commission voted to take a second look at the Secretary's recommendation, opening up the possibility that the Commission may vote to close the Buckley Annex.

Senator Salazar, along with a delegation from Colorado including Sen. Wayne Allard, Gov. Bill Owens and business and community leaders, will testify that the Denver center should remain open preserving nearly 1200 jobs in the region.

“In every evaluation of the DFAS centers throughout the country the Buckley Annex DFAS performance comes out on top,” said Senator Salazar referring to independent, statistical analyses conducted by the Pentagon that consistently place Denver among the top three DFAS performers in the country.

The primary factor taken into consideration during this process is military value which is measured by strength of workforce, condition of the facility and whether or not the facility needs rehabilitation. “The bottom line is this: the facts of Buckley Annex’s case are very strong, it will result in increased efficiency for DFAS and, therefore, greater savings for its clients, our service members,” continued Salazar.

During the week of August 22, the BRAC Commission will begin to finalize its list, which it will submit to the President in September. If he approves, the President will forward that list to the Congress for Congress to approve or disapprove in its entirety.

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