WASHINGTON, DC — In mid-September, President Bush approved and sent the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission's (BRAC) report to Congress for review. The plan calls for closing 22 major military bases and reconfiguring 33 others, which would affect military fitness facilities at those bases.
Congress has 45 legislative days to accept or reject the report in its entirety and cannot make changes to the final report. The report lists the recommendations for revamping the U.S. military's infrastructure and force structure.
The Department of Defense (DoD) took two-and-a-half years to study and compile its recommendations for the 2005 BRAC. The BRAC commission approved 86 percent of DoD's original recommendations, which would reduce excess military infrastructure between 5 percent and 11 percent and save $48.8 billion over 20 years, said Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.