Congressman J. Randy Forbes (VA-04), Chairman of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee, announced that the Readiness Subcommittee will hold a hearing to address “The Request for Authorization of Another BRAC Round and Additional Reductions in Overseas Bases” on Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 11:30 A.M. - 1:30 PM in Rayburn 2118.  The purpose of this hearing is to examine the implications of two more rounds of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, which is expected to be requested by President Obama in his FY13 budget request.

“As the Administration prepares to embark on another BRAC round, it is incumbent upon the Readiness Subcommittee to conduct a robust assessment of the BRAC process and its potential implications for our national security. The BRAC process is fraught with the peril of irrevocable mistakes, and it is necessary that we examine its long-term impact on our national defense strategy,” said Forbes.   

HASC Readiness Subcommittee Hearing:
The Request for Authorization of Another BRAC Round and Additional Reductions in Overseas Bases
Thursday, March 8, 2012
11:30 AM - 1:30 PM

WITNESSES

Dr. Dorothy Robyn
Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Installations and Environment

Brigadier General Christopher D. Bishop
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Plans

Mr. Brian Lepore
Director, Defense Capabilities Assessment
U.S. Government Accountability Office

The most recent BRAC round was in 2005 and resulted in 190 closures and realignments.  A report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) showed that that implementation costs for the 2005 BRAC round have risen 67 percent from $21 billion to $35 billion.  The GAO has also noted that the 2005 BRAC round will not break even until 2018.