mr. chairman , i rise in support of h. j. res. 65 , to disapprove the recommendations of the base realignment and closure commission -- brac . 
closing surplus military infrastructure makes sense , but only if it is done in a proper strategic context and through a rational , deliberative , and fair process . 
the 2005 base closure round does not meet these tests . 
secretary of defense rumsfeld proposed this brac in 2001 , before september 11 and our occupation of afghanistan and iraq . 
the world changed , but the defense department 's brac process did not . 
i voted against this brac in 2001 , on the grounds that it presumptively put infrastructure decisions before force structure decisions . 
at the time , i said that with `` uncertainty about our future military needs in the new security environment , i believe that this is not the right time to add a new layer of uncertainty to our military communities in maine by approving a new base closure round. '' my view has been validated by the statements of the base realignment and closure commission itself . 
in its final report , the commission faulted the department of defense -- dod -- for making infrastructure decisions prior to conducting a `` comprehensive review of the underlying strategic issues that is to be set forth in the [ 2006 ] quadrennial defense review [ which ] may have better informed and assisted the commission in making its final recommendations. '' the commission also criticized dod for failing to provide necessary source data on its proposals for as long as a month after the dod list was submitted . 
this delay hampered the ability of the commission to do proper analysis and hamstrung communities trying to defend their bases . 
my view has been validated by the overseas basing commission , which found that the `` massive realignment of forces requires that the pace of events be slowed and reordered. '' it faulted the administration 's plans to bring 70 , 000 troops home from overseas without a full analysis of the infrastructure to accommodate them . 
my view has been validated by a recent revelation by brac commissioner phillip coyle that information gathered to support some of dod 's brac recommendations were based largely on google searches . 
the commission observed that several dod plans to consolidate multiple military facilities were based not on in-depth analytic work but on internet search engine queries used only to match facility names and functions . 
lastly , my view has been validated by the questions my constituents repeatedly asked me : why are we closing military installations when we are at war ? 
why are we building new bases in iraq while closing them in america ? 
will our troops in iraq and afghanistan have the right facilities to come home to ? 
i do n't have good answers to those questions , but neither does the pentagon . 
by pushing brac at the wrong time , our nation risks losing key assets that can never be reconstituted . 
we jeopardize our security if we close infrastructure before we first come to consensus on an overall defense and homeland security strategy . 
the brac commission 's decision to remove several major bases from dod 's list demonstrates that the pentagon put the cart before the horse . 
for example , the commission voted to keep open the submarine base at new london , ct , and the portsmouth naval shipyard , in my district . 
the commission expressed serious doubts about dod 's force structure plan and the submarine force 's ability to confront uncertain future threats . 
in addition , i object to this brac list due to the inexplicable and unwise closure of the brunswick naval air station -- nasb . 
this facility is the last remaining fully operational military airfield in the northeast . 
its loss will hamper our capability to perform homeland defense and maritime patrol missions in the region , leaving a vulnerable flank for the entire nation . 
nasb was the only major base closed by the commission that was not recommended for closure by dod . 
i believe the commission failed to adequately justify its decision that the base was `` not needed. '' the commission completely ignored the combined military value judgment of combatant commanders that brunswick is a vital strategic asset . 
it failed to explain how , or at what monetary or mission cost , the military could perform essential maritime patrol missions in the northeast without brunswick . 
in closing nasb , the commission appeared to deviate from its own charter . 
it justified closing the base merely in order to `` reduce excess capacity and result in significant savings , '' despite its own directive to seek a balance between the goals of realizing savings and rationalizing our military infrastructure to meet the needs of future missions . 
i was pleased that the commission listened to the arguments put forth to them and voted to reject the closure of two facilities in maine : the portsmouth naval shipyard and the defense finance and accounting service in limestone , where the commission also agreed to double the number of jobs . 
despite these positive outcomes , however , the unjustified closure of brunswick affirms my opposition to this brac list , as well as the underlying fact that this was the wrong time in our nation 's history for this brac . 
the fundamental purpose of brac is to save money . 
let 's put its `` savings '' in perspective . 
the 20-year savings ( approximately $ 800 million ) from the closure of brunswick naval air station is the equivalent to half a week of operations in iraq . 
the entire projected 20-year savings from the brac list -- $ 36 billion -- are exhausted by just 6 months in iraq . 
the entire savings is also merely half that of the president 's proposed tax cuts this year -- $ 70 billion , and minuscule compared to the $ 4 trillion in federal revenue losses from upper-income tax breaks passed since 2001 . 
the brac process is also a huge unfunded mandate on communities . 
i commend my congressional colleagues from maine and new hampshire , governors john baldacci and john lynch , the employees , unions , management , local government officials , task force members and volunteers for the long hours devoted to defending maine 's defense facilities . 
while it was a worthy cause , i regret that we were forced to spend so much time on brac , rather than on new initiatives to improve our communities . 
the lost human productivity caused by brac , not only for communities but on dod personnel as well , is something we must calculate if we ever debate a future brac round . 
again , i urge passage of h. j. res. 65 to reject this brac list . 
in a time of uncertainty , we risk losing national assets we can never recover . 
