WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced her opposition to a new round of military base closures through a revised Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process beginning in 2021. Such a proposal has been introduced as an amendment to the fiscal year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, which is currently being considered by the Senate.
“At a time when our military is engaged in combat operations as well as an ongoing fight against terrorism, another proposed round of base closures does not make sense – for our national defense or for our taxpayers,” said Senator Collins. “Previous BRAC rounds have had a disproportionate effect on Maine. The closure of the Brunswick Naval Air Station in the 2005 BRAC round left the military with no active-duty airfield in New England and failed to deliver the promised taxpayer savings. Numerous Navy officials have told me they regretted losing the base.”
“Maine’s two major military installations, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service in Limestone and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) in Kittery, are among the Department of Defense’s most efficient and productive installations,” Senator Collins continued. “In fact, PNSY has been called the ‘gold standard’ by which the government should measure shipyards due to its high-quality work. The strong performance of both of Maine’s installations is a testament to the highly skilled, hardworking employees at both DFAS Limestone and PNSY. I will continue to fight for our bases, our jobs, and the security of our nation.”
