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Pentagon Recommends Closing Two Facilities In Puerto Rico But Fort Buchanan Remains…Proposed Military Base Closings


Pentagon Recommends Closing Two Facilities In Puerto Rico But Fort Buchanan Remains

May 13, 2005
Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - The last active U.S. Army post in the Caribbean will remain open, the Pentagon recommended Friday, quieting fears the U.S. Caribbean territory of Puerto Rico would lose income estimated at US$200 million (euro157 million) annually.

A smaller Army post and a National Guard base on the island would be closed under the recommendation submitted by U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission on Friday.

Buchanan would lose nine military and 47 civilian positions as well as the Army Contracting Agency Southern Hemisphere Region Headquarters, which would move to Fort Houston, Texas, under the proposal.

The Army facility to be closed, at Bayamon town neighboring the capital, San Juan, would lose 25 military and one civilian positions. Two other military posts recommended for reorganization, one in San Juan and the other in west-coast Aguadilla, would lose another 53 military positions.

President George W. Bush will announce his decision on the recommendations by Sept. 23. Congress will then vote to approve or disapprove the entire list.

"The recommendation is to reutilize its (Fort Buchanan's) resources in a different form," said Luis Fortuno, Puerto Rico's nonvoting representative in the U.S. Congress.

The reorganization process takes five or six years and "does not necessarily imply a reduction in functions and importance. On the contrary, it may signify an increase," Col. Stephen Ackman, commander of Fort Buchanan, said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Fortuno said he feared the Bush administration would close Fort Buchanan in reprisal for Puerto Ricans forcing the closure of the U.S. Navy's prized bombing range on Vieques island.

The Navy abandoned its base in 2003, four years after the killing of a civilian guard by errant bombs sparked outrage and protests. Critics said the bombing harmed the island's fragile environment, endangered the health of residents and hurt the livelihoods of fishermen and hoteliers. The Navy denied the accusations.

The departure from Vieques prompted the closure last year of Roosevelt Roads Naval Station on Puerto Rico's east coast, which had administered the bombing exercises. It had been a support base for U.S. invasions of the Dominican Republic in 1965, Grenada in 1983 and Haiti in 1994. Thousands of troops and civilians packed up and left, depriving the economy of an estimated $300 million (euro234 million) a year.

Guantanamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba now is the last U.S. Naval base in the Caribbean.

Fort Buchanan was established in 1923 in suburban Guaynabo and mobilizes, readies and deploys some 15,000 National Guard and U.S. Army Reserve soldiers in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More than 450 buildings dot its 4,500 acres (1,820 hectares). At the end of last year, about 630 people were employed on the base, which was the headquarters for U.S. Army South from 1999 to 2003.

Fort Buchanan first appeared on the list of bases whose closure was contemplated in 1995.

This year the Pentagon proposed shutting about 180 military installations from Maine to Hawaii, including 33 major bases.


List Of Proposed Military Base Closings

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

May 13, 2005
Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A list of military facilities the Defense Department recommended for closure Friday:

Alabama:

Abbott U.S. Army Reserve Center, Tuskegee

Anderson U.S. Army Reserve Center, Troy

Armed Forces Reserve Center, Mobile

BG William P. Screws U.S. Army Reserve Center, Montgomery

Fort Ganey Army National Guard Reserve Center, Mobile

Fort Hanna Army National Guard Reserve Center, Birmingham

Gary U.S. Army Reserve Center, Enterprise

Navy Recruiting District Headquarters, Montgomery

Navy Reserve Center, Tuscaloosa

The Adjutant General Building, AL Army National Guard, Montgomery

Wright U.S. Army Reserve Center

Alaska:

Kulis Air Guard Station

Arizona:

Air Force Research Lab, Mesa

Allen Hall Armed Forces Reserve Center, Tucson

Arkansas:

El Dorado Armed Forces Reserve Center

Stone U.S. Army Reserve Center, Pine Bluff

California:

Armed Forces Reserve Center Bell

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Oakland

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, San Bernardino

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, San Diego

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Seaside

Naval Support Activity Corona

Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, Detachment Concord

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Encino

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Los Angeles

Onizuka Air Force Station

Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant

Connecticut:

Sgt. Libby U.S. Army Reserve Center, New Haven

Submarine Base New London

Turner U.S. Army Reserve Center, Fairfield

U.S. Army Reserve Center Maintenance Support Facility, Middletown

Delaware:

Kirkwood U.S. Army Reserve Center, Newark

Florida:

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Orlando

Navy Reserve Center, St. Petersburg

Georgia:

Fort Gillem

Fort McPherson

Inspector/Instructor, Rome

Naval Air Station Atlanta

Naval Supply Corps School, Athens

U.S. Army Reserve Center, Columbus

Hawaii:

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Honokaa

Idaho:

Navy Reserve Center, Pocatello

Illinois:

Armed Forces Reserve Center, Carbondale

Navy Reserve Center, Forest Park

Indiana:

Navy Marine Corps Reserve Center, Grissom Air Reserve Base, Bunker Hill

Navy Recruiting District Headquarters, Indianapolis

Navy Reserve Center, Evansville

Newport Chemical Depot

U.S. Army Reserve Center, Lafayette

U.S. Army Reserve Center, Seston

Iowa:

Navy Reserve Center, Cedar Rapids

Navy Reserve Center, Sioux City

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Dubuque

Kansas:

Kansas Army Ammunition Plant

Kentucky:

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Paducah

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Lexington

Navy Reserve Center, Lexington

U.S. Army Reserve Center, Louisville

U.S. Army Reserve Center, Maysville

Louisiana:

Baton Rouge Army National Guard Reserve Center

Naval Support Activity, New Orleans

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Baton Rouge

Roberts U.S. Army Reserve Center, Baton Rouge

Maine:

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Limestone

Naval Reserve Center, Bangor

Naval Shipyard Portsmouth, Kittery

Maryland:

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Patuxent River

Navy Reserve Center, Adelphi

Pfc. Flair U.S. Army Reserve Center, Frederick

Massachusetts:

Malony U.S. Army Reserve Center

Otis Air Guard Base

Westover U.S. Army Reserve Center, Citopee

Michigan:

Navy Reserve Center Marquette

Parisian U.S. Army Reserve Center, Lansing

Selfridge Army Activity

W.K. Kellogg Airport Air Guard Station

Minnesota:

Navy Reserve Center Duluth

Mississippi:

Mississippi Army Ammunition Plant

Naval Station, Pascagoula

U.S. Army Reserve Center, Vicksburg

Missouri:

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Jefferson Barracks

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Kansas City

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, St. Louis

Marine Corps Support Center, Kansas City

Navy Recruiting District Headquarters, Kansas

Navy Reserve Center, Cape Girardeau

Montana:

Galt Hall U.S. Army Reserve Center, Great Falls

Nebraska:

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Columbus

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Grand Island

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Kearny

Naval Recruiting District Headquarters, Omaha

Navy Reserve Center, Lincoln

Nevada:

Hawthorne Army Depot

New Hampshire:

Doble U.S. Army Reserve Center, Portsmouth

New Jersey:

Fort Monmouth

Inspector/Instructor Center, West Trenton

Kilmer U.S. Army Reserve Center, Edison

SFC Nelson V. Brittin U.S. Army Reserve Center

New Mexico:

Cannon Air Force Base

Jenkins Armed Forces Reserve Center, Albuquerque

New York:

Armed Forces Reserve Center, Amityville

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Niagara Falls

Carpenter U.S. Army Reserve Center, Poughkeepsie

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Rome

Navy Recruiting District Headquarters, Buffalo

Navy Reserve Center Glenn Falls

Navy Reserve Center Horsehead

Navy Reserve Center Watertown

Niagara Falls International Airport Air Guard Station

North Carolina:

Navy Reserve Center, Asheville

Niven U.S. Army Reserve Center, Albemarle

Ohio:

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Mansfield

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Westerville

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Dayton

Mansfield Lahm Municipal Airport Air Guard Station

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Akron

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Cleveland

Parrott U.S. Army Reserve Center, Kenton

U.S. Army Reserve Center, Whitehall

Oklahoma:

Armed Forces Reserve Center Broken Arrow

Armed Forces Reserve Center Muskogee

Army National Guard Reserve Center Tishomingo

Krowse U.S. Army Reserve Center, Oklahoma City

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Tulsa

Oklahoma City (95th)

Oregon:

Navy Reserve Center Central Point

Umatilla Army Depot

Pennsylvania:

Bristol

Engineering Field Activity Northeast

Kelly Support Center

Naval Air Station Willow Grove

Navy Crane Center Lester

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Reading

North Penn U.S. Army Reserve Center, Norristown

Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station

Serrenti U.S. Army Reserve Center, Scranton

U.S. Army Reserve Center Bloomsburg

U.S. Army Reserve Center Lewisburg

U.S. Army Reserve Center Williamsport

W. Reese U.S. Army Reserve Center/OMS, Chester

Puerto Rico:

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Humacao

Lavergne U.S. Army Reserve Center, Bayamon

Rhode Island:

Harwood U.S. Army Reserve Center, Providence

USARC Bristol

South Carolina:

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, Charleston

South Naval Facilities Engineering Command

South Dakota:

Ellsworth Air Force Base

Tennessee:

U.S. Army Reserve Area Maintenance Support Facility, Kingsport

Texas:

Army National Guard Reserve Center No. 2, Dallas

Army National Guard Reserve Center (Hondo Pass), El Paso

Army National Guard Reserve Center, California Crossing

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Ellington

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Lufkin

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Marshall

Army National Guard Reserve Center, New Braunfels

Brooks City Base

Defense Finance and Accounting Service, San Antonio

Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant

Naval Station, Ingleside

Navy Reserve Center, Lubbock

Navy Reserve Center, Orange

Red River Army Depot

U.S. Army Reserve Center No. 2, Houston

Utah:

Deseret Chemical Depot

Virginia:

Fort Monroe

Washington:

1LT Richard H. Walker U.S. Army Reserve Center

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Everett

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Tacoma

U.S. Army Reserve Center, Fort Lawton

Vancouver Barracks

West Virginia:

Bias U.S. Army Reserve Center, Huntington

Fairmont U.S. Army Reserve Center

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Moundsville

Wisconsin:

Gen. Mitchell International Airport ARS

Navy Reserve Center, La Crosse

Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center, Madison

Olson U.S. Army Reserve Center, Madison

U.S. Army Reserve Center, O'Connell

Wyoming:

Army Aviation Support Facility, Cheyenne

Army National Guard Reserve Center, Thermopolis


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