Delaware Delegation Announces that Dover Air Force Base

Spared from Current Round of Base Closures

WILMINGTON, DE (May 13, 2005) — At a news conference earlier today, the U.S. Department of Defense announced its recommendations for the 2005 Base Realignment and Closures (BRAC). Thirty-three major military instillations throughout the Unites States are slated for complete closure and more than 700 bases will be restructured. In what the Delaware’s Delegation called a “powerful statement about its importance to our military” the Pentagon recommended that Dover Air Force Base increase its strength by 248 new personnel. Delaware’s Delegation released the following statement: “As we suspected all along, Dover Air Force Base actually gained from the BRAC process. In a time when many bases are being closed or realigned, Dover actually increases in personnel. We believe this is a powerful statement about its importance in the overall structure of our military and a true testament to the extraordinary men and women who serve at the Base. “We are deeply disappointed that some parts of the Delaware Air National Guard mission are being sent elsewhere. We are still assessing the meaning and full impact of the BRAC recommendations as they relate to New Castle County. Some parts of the recommendations are vague and the information provided to us is incomplete. In the coming weeks, we will continue to make the case that the New Castle County Air Guard facility is an integral part of our national defense infrastructure.” The Government Accountability Office will review the recommendations and send its findings to the President and to Congress on July 1, 2005. The BRAC Commission has until September 8, 2005 to submit its recommendations to the President, who has until September 23, 2005 to accept or reject the list in its entirety. If he rejects it, BRAC has until October 20, 2005 to resubmit a list of recommendations. The President then has until November 7, to submit the approved list to Congress, which has 45 legislative days to issue a joint resolution of disapproval or they become final.

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