Rumsfeld starts defense of plan for base closings

Rumsfeld startsdefense of plan for base closings
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld defended the Pentagon's plan to close nearly 180 military installations but acknowledged Monday the impact on scores of communities facing the loss of nearby bases.
"Change is never easy," Rumsfeld told the nine-member commission that is charged with reviewing the controversial proposal. "When communities are impacted, change is particularly hard."
Rumsfeld, speaking before the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, outlined a sweeping restructuring plan that would close 33 major installations and reduce the size of hundreds of others.
The defense chief received a polite reception, although two commissioners expressed concerns that the base restructuring could drastically weaken the Air National Guard and Air Reserve.
"Do you really think this is a smart move?" commissioner James Bilbray asked. Guard and reserve centers make up many of the proposed closures, he said.
Gen. Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said even with consolidations, the reserve forces still would have "a robust capacity."
Rumsfeld said the Department of Labor and the Pentagon's Office of Economic Adjustment were gearing up to offer economic assistance to affected communities.