WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement on the US. Department of Defense announcement that the President will request that Congress authorize a Base Re-Alignment and Closure (BRAC) process: 

“Addressing our $15 trillion national debt will require a balanced approach that includes entitlement reform, tax reforms that generate additional revenues, and spending cuts across all of our federal spending.  No area of government spending should be exempt, but before we authorize another round of base closings and realignments we should first determine if there is excess capacity not just here but also at our overseas installations, especially in Europe.   

“The last BRAC round occurred when I was Governor in 2005, and Virginia’s local, state and federal officials partnered in a continuing effort that saved Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach. As a U.S. Senator in 2010 and early 2011, we worked with many of these same local and regional partners to save about 2,000 high-end jobs, many of them in modeling and simulation, when the Pentagon dis-established Joint Forces Command in Hampton Roads 

“Both with Oceana and JFCOM, we created an effective model that we can use in any future discussions about base closings and realignments. With this experience and framework, I am confident that Virginia will continue to lead the way in providing our country with an effective and efficient military that ensures our national defense.”

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