Rep. Miller Statement on Sec. Panetta's Recent Comments Abandoning Plans for a 2013 BRAC Round

Harrison Township, MI – Defense Secretary Leon Panetta yesterday made clear that the Pentagon was abandoning plans for a new round of domestic Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) in 2013.  Secretary Panetta during a speech at the annual conference of the Association of Defense Communities in Monterey, California said the following: “It is now clear that there will not be a round of [closures] authorized in 2013.”

Representative Candice Miller released the following statement in response to Secretary Panetta’s comments:

“I am glad that Secretary Panetta finally gave in to the reality that Congress would not authorize another BRAC round in 2013.  I have been proud to stand with my colleagues in Congress in a bipartisan fashion against the idea of additional domestic base closures along with draconian cuts to our National Guard.  Over the past several decades communities across America have been devastated by base closures, including several here in Michigan.  With our economy struggling, now is absolutely the wrong time to consider additional base closures here at home and if it is necessary to close any bases we should review our overseas military footprint first, particularly in Europe.  There had been concerns that if another BRAC round was authorized that Selfridge Air National Guard Base could be once again targeted.  This is good news for communities like ours that are home to military facilities, for the brave men and women who serve in uniform, and for their families.”

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