Army Requests New BRAC-Round at Congressional Hearing

U.S. Army Secretary John McHugh and Army Chief of Staff General Ray Odierno recently testified before the House Armed Services Committee in support of a new Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round in fiscal year 2017. With a reduction of some 200,000 active duty troops since the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and increased cuts, the Army representatives underscored the Department of Defense’s (DOD) deep desire and need to undergo a new BRAC round. Secretary McHugh specifically noted the need to reduce excess base facility capacity. He noted that in the continental U.S., 15 to 20 percent of the facilities on bases are either underutilized or sheer excess.  McHugh requested $6 billion to implement a BRAC process to solely dispose of these excess facilities that, he stated, would save $2 billion annually in maintenance costs. According to the Army, on a net $13 billion investment, the 2005 BRAC round is producing a net stream of savings of $1 billion a year.  Unlike previous years, members of Congress were not squarely opposed to the idea of a BRAC. However, many remained somewhat skeptical and requested more details on DOD’s plan for a new BRAC round. AGC will continue to work with members of Congress to support a new BRAC-round that would save our nation billions of dollars in the long-term. For more information, please contact Jimmy Christianson at (703) 837-5325 or christiansonj@agc.org.