FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 19, 2007
CONTACT: Geoff Embler or Jamie Loftus
Sen. Hutchison Addresses Force Strength, BRAC Implementation at Military Funding Hearing
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Ranking Member of the Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, today addressed increased force strength and the benefits that Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), coupled with global repositioning will have for the military and military families. She addressed the issues at the subcommittee hearing on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Military Construction budget.
“At the end of BRAC and the global repositioning, 90 percent of the U.S. Army will be based in the U.S. This will provide more true operational freedom, better training and better family support than is currently possible,” Sen. Hutchison said.
Sen. Hutchison has been focused on global repositioning and introduced and passed the Military Facility Structure Review Act, bipartisan legislation that established a congressional commission to study the use of U.S. military facilities abroad. The Overseas Basing Commission examined the mission and future use of overseas bases before bases at home were considered for realignment and closure.
Sen. Hutchison posed questions on BRAC implementation at the hearing and received assurances from Keith Eastin, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations and Environment, that BRAC implementation is currently on schedule. In addition, she requested a status report be provided if BRAC implementation is significantly altered.
Sen. Hutchison also expressed her support for the Army’s budget request to “Grow the Force.” The FY 2008 budget request includes over $1.5 billion in military construction funding to support increasing its active duty end strength.
“I have long advocated for increasing the Army’s end strength and am pleased to see the budget request supports the ‘Grow the Force initiative.’”
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