Gov. Christine Gregoire, stepping up efforts to shield Washington’s military bases from an upcoming round of closures, said Wednesday the state actually could benefit from the ordeal.
Her thinking? Washington state, with its cutting-edge military installations, ultrasupportive communities and ideal Pacific Rim location, could be assigned some units and personnel from bases that are closed or realigned elsewhere.
The welcome mat is out, the governor said after touring McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma.
Outlining an aggressive pitch on behalf of all of the state’s military installations, she said the message to the Pentagon is: “First, none of our bases should be on the (closure) list, and two, we stand ready to welcome other missions and personnel to Washington state.
“I actually hope that we expand our military force in Washington state as a result of BRAC.”
BRAC is the acronym for the Base Realignment and Closure Commission that Congress and the White House are using to trim the nation’s military bases by about 15 percent.
For the fifth time since 1988, the Pentagon will nominate bases for closure or consolidation. The previous rounds have cut about 20 percent of bases nationally from the pre-1988 level.
The Department of Defense will release a list by May 16. A nine-member panel appointed by Congress and President Bush, with only limited authority to change the Pentagon’s list, will submit recommendations to the White House by Sept. 8. By Nov. 7, the president will submit the plan to Congress, which has 45 days to vote on it.
It’s a big deal for Washington, since the military is the state’s largest employer, with 188,000 jobs directly or indirectly tied to the bases and an annual payroll of $7.2 billion. Thousands of military pensioners have retired to the state.
Gregoire has made the base-closure issue a high priority in the first weeks of her new administration, traveling to military communities and plotting strategy.
Her first day in office, she visited Everett, home of the Everett Naval Station, and discussed the base closure process with County Executive Aaron Reardon and Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson.
On Wednesday, she announced a $10 million proposal to help bases with roads, sewers and other infrastructure and to buy some adjacent properties to avoid encroachment by developers.
Finding the $10 million will not be easy, said Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, chairman of the House Capital Budget Committee.
“A lot of people want a lot of things,” he said. “It would come out of somebody else’s request.”
Also Wednesday, Gregoire and legislative leaders from both parties sent a letter to the Pentagon pledging the state’s commitment to the bases.
Today, she meets with U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., to discuss the issue. Next week, Gregoire, Larsen and other members of the congressional delegation will brief Pentagon officials on the state’s perspective.
“I am working with my Washington state colleagues in Congress to make a strong, unified case that our state’s bases stand at the forefront of our nation’s defense and are uniquely suited to become a model for our military in the future,” Larsen said.
Gregoire said it wouldn’t make sense to close any of the bases in the state.
“We can’t afford to lose them economically, and we cannot afford as a nation to lose them strategically,” she said
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