[CPEO-MEF] CLOSURE: GAO reports on timing and savings

[Lenny Siegel]

Military Base Realignments and Closures: DOD Faces Challenges in 
Implementing Recommendations on Time and Is Not Consistently Updating 
Savings Estimates

GAO-09-217
January 30, 2009


Summary

The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round is the biggest, most 
complex, and costliest BRAC round ever. In addition to base closures, 
many recommendations involve realignments, such as returning forces to 
the United States from bases overseas and creating joint bases. However, 
anticipated savings remained an important consideration in justifying 
the need for the 2005 BRAC round. The House report on the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 directed GAO to monitor 
BRAC implementation. Therefore, GAO assessed (1) challenges that might 
affect timely completion of recommendations, (2) any changes in DOD's 
reported cost and savings estimates since fiscal year 2008, and (3) the 
potential for estimates to continue to change. To address these 
objectives, GAO reviewed documentation and interviewed officials in the 
Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the services' BRAC offices, 
and the Army Corps of Engineers; visited installations implementing some 
of the more costly realignments or closures; and analyzed BRAC budget 
data for fiscal years 2008 and 2009.

...

For the entire summary and a link to the full report, go to
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-217

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Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel at cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org