Representative Mike Rogers (R-Saks) hears only one word when it comes to closing military bases: devastation. When the Army closed Fort McClellan in 1999, Rogers saw first-hand the economic and community devastation left behind when the military leaves town.

So today when the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee proposed allowing the base closure process to proceed, Rogers considered the men and women in uniform, and the communities they represent, and voted against the amendment.

 “Now is not the time to down-size our military,” Rogers said after the vote, which failed to eliminate BRAC. “Americans at home and overseas face constant threats, and the least we can do is fully support the preparedness of our men and women in the armed forces.”

Rogers sits on the influential House subcommittee which oversees the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC), and which last week voted to eliminate the 2005 round of BRAC. Rogers reiterated his desire to eliminate BRAC altogether today by voting against House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA), who sought to continue the Pentagon’s base closure efforts.

“I certainly agree with Chairman Hunter and President Bush’s desire to transform our military for the new battles of the 21st Century,” Rogers said. “But I can not, and will not, support efforts, in the name of ‘efficiency,’ that punish the families and communities who allow their loved ones to serve our country.”