The Department of Defense released its long-awaited Base Relignment and Closure (BRAC) recommendations late last week.  No major Washington state military installations were listed. 

According to the report, Washington state will eventually gain 760 military personnel.  Also Naval Base Kitsap - Bremerton would also gain approximately 1,400 civilian personnel positions, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island would gain 139, Fort Lewis 230, and Human Resources Support Center Northwest would pick up 23.

While no major bases in Washington state were recommended for closure, some National Guard and Reserve facilities were on the list. They include the Army National Guard Reserve Center in Everett, the Vancouver Barracks, the U.S. Army Reserve Center Fort Lawton in Seattle, the Navy-Marine Corps Reserve Center in Tacoma, and the 1LT Richard H. Walker U.S. Army Reserve Center.

Together, these closures would represent a loss of 267 personnel (197 military and 70 civilian).

Three Washington bases, however, are slated for realignment. McChord Air Force Base would lose 567 total personnel, 169 of which belong to a medical unit slated to move to Fort Lewis. Fairchild Air Force Base could lose up to 198 total personnel, including the fleet of eight KC-135R tankers to Iowa. Also at Fairchild, the 141st Air National Guard unit will now be attached with the 92nd Air Refueling Wing.

According to Rear Adm. Len Hering, commander, Navy Region Northwest, the BRAC process has worked well.

“As anticipated, BRAC has been fair and objective, with primary consideration given to military value,” Hering said. “These latest recommendations will ultimately advance combat effectiveness for all the armed forces, and make good use of the taxpayers’ dollars. This is the right thing to do for the nation.”

The BRAC process was established by Congress in response to the end of the Cold War and the changing needs of the military. It’s main objective is to cut costs and increase efficiency by shifting the military’s resources.

A nine-member commission will now have until Sept. 8 to present a revised closure list to the president. In order for the commission to add a base to the list, a supermajority vote (seven of nine) from the commission is required. Only a simple majority - five of nine - is required to remove a base from the list.

President George Bush will then have until Sept. 23 to approve the list in full and send to Congress, or disapprove of the list and return it to the commission. If the president returns the list, the commission has until Oct. 20 to submit a new list to the president, who must certify it and send to Congress by Nov. 7.

If Congress, after receiving the list from president, does not reject it within 45 days, the list will become law.