[Federal Register: December 23, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 246)]
[Notices]
[Page 74221-74222]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23de03-48]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
Department of Defense Draft Selection Criteria for Closing and
Realigning Military Installations Inside the United States
AGENCY: Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations
and Environment)
[[Page 74222]]
, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice publishes the draft selection criteria that will
be used by the Department of Defense to make closure and realignment
recommendations that will be reviewed by the 2005 Defense Base Closure
and Realignment Commission.
DATES: Comments should be submitted to the Department of Defense at the
address shown below by January 28, 2004, to be considered in the
formulation of the final criteria.
ADDRESSES: Interested parties should submit written comments to: Office
of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations & Environment),
ATTN: Mr. Peter Potochney, Director, Base Realignment and Closure, Room
3D814, the Pentagon, Washington DC, 20301-3300. Please cite this
Federal Register announcement in all correspondence. Interested parties
may also forward their comments via facsimile at 703-695-1496.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Mike McAndrew, Base Realignment
and Closure Office, ODUSD(I&E), (703) 614-5356.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Background
The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990, as amended
(the Act), establishes the authority by which the Secretary of Defense
may close or realign military installations inside the United States.
Section 2913(a) of the Act requires the Secretary of Defense to publish
the selection criteria proposed to be used by the Secretary in making
recommendations for the closure or realignment of military
installations inside the United States by December 31, 2003, for a 30-
day public comment period. Section 2913(e) requires the Secretary of
Defense to publish the final selection criteria no later than February
16, 2004. The final selection criteria are subject to Congressional
disapproval by Act of Congress until March 15, 2004.
B. Relationship to Previous Criteria
Since the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round, the
Department of Defense (DoD) has used the same, publicly accepted,
selection criteria to make its closure and realignment recommendations.
The Department first published these criteria for public comment in a
November 30, 1990 (55 FR 49678), Federal Register notice. Based on
comments received, the proposed criteria were appropriately amended.
The February 15, 1991 (56 FR 6374), Federal Register notice contained
an analysis of public comments received and a description of the
changes DoD made to the draft criteria. Having not been disapproved by
Congress, the final criteria were used to make recommendations to the
1991 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission. Subsequently, the
DoD, in a December 15, 1992 (57 FR 59334), and a December 9, 1994 (59
FR 63769), Federal Register notice, announced that it would use the
same final criteria to make recommendations to the 1993 and 1995
Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commissions, respectively.
The Act specifies that the selection criteria shall ensure that
military value is the primary consideration in making closure and
realignment recommendations. It also lists specific considerations that
military value must include and special considerations that the
selection criteria must address. The eight criteria proposed for this
round were based on the accepted, tested, and proven criteria used in
past BRAC rounds. These criteria now incorporate statutory requirements
and stress the Department's capabilities based approach to performing
missions.
C. Draft Selection Criteria
It is proposed that the Department of Defense use the following
criteria in making recommendations for the closure or realignment of
military installations inside the United States:
[sbull] In recommending military installations for closure or
realignment, the Department of Defense will, giving priority
consideration to military value (criteria 1-4), consider:
Military Value
1. The current and future mission capabilities and the impact on
operational readiness of the Department of Defense's total force,
including the impact on joint warfighting, training, and readiness.
2. The availability and condition of land, facilities and
associated airspace (including training areas suitable for maneuver by
ground, naval, or air forces throughout a diversity of climate and
terrain areas and staging areas for the use of the Armed Forces in
homeland defense missions) at both existing and potential receiving
locations.
3. The ability to accommodate contingency, mobilization, and future
total force requirements at both existing and potential receiving
locations to support operations and training.
4. The cost of operations and the manpower implications.
Other Considerations
5. The extent and timing of potential costs and savings, including
the number of years, beginning with the date of completion of the
closure or realignment, for the savings to exceed the costs.
6. The economic impact on existing communities in the vicinity of
military installations.
7. The ability of both the existing and potential receiving
communities' infrastructure to support forces, missions, and personnel.
8. The environmental impact, including the impact of costs related
to potential environmental restoration, waste management, and
environmental compliance activities.
D. Previous Federal Register References
1. 55 FR 49678, November 30, 1990: Proposed selection criteria and
request for comments.
2. 55 FR 53586, December 31, 1990: Extend comment period on
proposed selection criteria.
3. 56 FR 6374, February 15, 1991: Published selection criteria and
analysis of comments.
4. 57 FR 59334, December 15, 1992: Published selection criteria.
5. 59 FR 63769, December 9, 1994: Published selection criteria.
Dated: December 18, 2003.
L.M. Bynum,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 03-31631 Filed 12-19-03; 10:00 am]
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