Posts Tagged ‘BRAC’

One of the Pentagon’s objectives in the previous round of BRAC was to reduce its use of leased space, particularly in the Washington metro area. Recommendations directing DOD offices to move from leased space to DOD-owned facilities, primarily installations, were intended to save money and ensure DOD activities occupied facilities meeting anti-terrorism/force protection standards. Since the conclusion of the 2005 round, however, the department has continued to rely on leased space …

The House Armed Services’ Readiness Subcommittee went one step further than it did last year in rejecting the Pentagon’s request for two base closure rounds. Rather than simply ignoring this year’s request to hold a BRAC round in 2015, the panel included language in the portion of the fiscal 2014 defense authorization bill it is scheduled to mark up Thursday precluding the department from using FY 2014 appropriations “to propose, plan for or execute an additional BRAC round …

The Navy on Tuesday transferred 118 acres at the former Naval Support Activity New Orleans to the Algiers Development District, one of two local groups leading the Federal City project located on the west bank of the Mississippi River. The Algiers district had signed a lease with the Navy for the site in 2008 and due to a provision in the fiscal 2011 defense authorization bill, it was designated to take ownership of the property from the Navy. The property contains 51 buildings, nine of which are considered historic …

With the Army expected to decide shortly how it will rebalance its force structure as it reduces its active-duty end strength by 72,000 soldiers, House appropriators are concerned the service may commit to spending money on building new facilities after it already spent billions of dollars since 2005 on military construction to accommodate the population shifts generated by the last BRAC round. “Army planning to potentially add combat maneuver battalions and supporting units at certain installations in support of Army 2020 may result in a sizeable obligation to the Army’s budget at the same time the Army is trying to reduce the size of its force structure …

Lawmakers on the six subcommittees of the House Armed Services Committee are expected to tackle a number of high-profile issues when then mark up the fiscal 2014 defense authorization bill this week — including the military’s handling of sexual assault, women in combat and oversight of drone strikes — but initiatives proposed by the Pentagon to help curb spending likely will be ignored. For starters, the Readiness Subcommittee is almost certain to leave out authorization for a base closure round in 2015 as DOD has requested …

The city of Alameda could take possession of a large chunk of the former Naval Air Station Alameda in a matter of weeks, following a vote this week by the City Council to approve the transfer of 509 acres of land and 870 acres of submerged property at the site on San Francisco Bay. The transfer would be the first of four from the Navy at what is now called Alameda Point under a no-cost economic development conveyance …

In many instances following the closure of an Army installation during BRAC 2005, facilities were not maintained adequately to support reuse, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. Community officials told the agency that the Army did not always maintain the facilities to their expectations, resulting in facility deterioration …

Merced County would have an easier time selling parcels at the former Castle Air Force Base, under legislation making its way to the floor of the California Senate. The elimination of redevelopment agencies in California in 2011 has prevented the county from directly selling parcels at the site, located about 100 miles east of San Jose, to interested companies. Without that authority, the county now is forced to hold a public auction, a process which can discourage firms from moving to the site …

The House’s draft fiscal 2014 military construction-veterans affairs spending bill calls for spending $9.9 billion on military construction and family housing programs, a $646 million reduction from the enacted level for FY 2013. After accounting for sequestration, though, only an estimated $8.8 billion is available for those programs this year. Overall, the draft bill provides $73.3 billion, a $1.4 billion increase above this year’s enacted level …

Providing additional planning data identifying where military personnel and their families live and establishing a long-term civilian point of contact at an installation are two changes that would help defense communities better prepare for mission growth in future BRAC rounds, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. While officials at growth installations exchanged planning information with their host communities concerning projected changes in military and civilian personnel, and school-age children, community officials interviewed by the congressional watchdog agency said they needed more specific information …