Testimony Before BRAC Commission

Testimony Before BRAC Commission
June 28, 2005

Thank you for granting me this opportunity to discuss the commands within my district that are being affected by the recent Department of Defense recommendations. I am in the unenviable position among my colleagues here today in that I represent installations that will grow under the announced recommendations and others that are slated for closure. Also, I am the only current member of this delegation who represented a community that has gone through a significant base closure when the Charleston Naval Base and Shipyard were closed in 1993.

Today, approximately 1100 jobs are slated for realignment or loss again from the Charleston region. Many of these individuals are constituents of mine who relocated to the Charleston area after the last BRAC round. Others, who are currently working for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southern Division and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service Center Charleston, were former Charleston Naval Base and Shipyard employees who have been retrained for the positions they currently hold. I am hopeful that this investment of time and money, and energy and talent, will not go unnoticed.

Those who will testify on behalf of the Charleston region will demonstrate to you that several of the recommendations that have been made seem to deviate from the BRAC criteria, will be more costly to the American taxpayer, and may detract from military value. I echo their concerns. You, and this process, are necessary and vital to ensure that our nation's armed forces can efficiently and effectively carry out their missions. I ask this Commission to request that additional scenarios be run that will maximize value to the military and the American taxpayer.

Since 1993, I have had the pleasure of watching Fort Jackson in my current hometown of Columbia and Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter where I was born, successfully fulfill the mission they were challenged to undertake. I believe the recent recommendations to further grow these facilities are a testament to their successful implementation of previous BRAC realignments. McEntire Air National Guard Base, which is sandwiched between these two facilities and is in my Congressional district, has shown that it is uniquely vital to our nation's military operations, and it too has been tapped for expansion.

McEntire, Fort Jackson, and Shaw Air Force Base are collectively expected to gain 1858 new jobs as a result of the recent recommendations. These changes will have a dramatic economic impact on these communities and comply with the Commission's overall goals of transforming the United States military into a more agile, joint expeditionary force. These recommendations will help to centralize our forces and military operations, and eliminate waste. This strategy is exemplified by the Department of Defense's recommendation to centralize the Armed Forces religious training institutes and establish a Joint Center of Excellence for Religious Training and Education at Fort Jackson.

I am very proud of the military commands in my community and all that they do to serve and protect our nation. I ask that you uphold the recommendations made by the Department of Defense as it relates to the military establishments of McEntire Air National Guard Base, Fort Jackson, and Shaw Air Force Base. And, I ask that you reexamine the data used and the recommendations made by the Department of Defense to relocate the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southern Division and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service Center in Charleston. Please listen closely to the testimony of my constituents from Charleston and the Low-Country of South Carolina. These relocations could have a dramatic impact on a community that has been devastated once before by the BRAC process.

Thank you again for your consideration.

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/speech/sc06_clyburn/050628bractestimony.html