Foreign bases should be first on cut list
May 24, 2005
The independent commission reviewing the Pentagon's recommended list of base closings has voiced sharp skepticism over the plan. I concur, and I would like to add some additional reasons for concern. I would also like to suggest an alternative to the Bush administration's current plans for military base closings across America, which are expected to bring extensive losses of jobs and a variety of other hardships to many American communities.
The U.S. military spent the first quarter of 2005 evaluating the effects of closing 425 domestic military bases, but apparently did not examine or consider the advantages of closing U.S. bases in foreign countries. Last time I looked into it, there were more than 700 U.S. military bases abroad, located in more than 100 nations and separate territories. These U.S. military bases abroad should in many cases be considered for closure in preference to the closing of domestic bases, for a variety of reasons.
It requires massive outlays of money to build, maintain and staff all of these foreign military bases, so that closing U.S. military bases overseas could save us a great deal of money. Furthermore, closing foreign military bases would improve goodwill toward Americans around the world, since one of the major factors behind hostility toward America today is the pervasive presence of the U.S. military in foreign nations. Closing U.S. bases abroad could do a great deal toward healing the hatreds that have fomented terrorism against the United States.
The United States is by far the strongest military power in the world today. We can generally expect to cope successfully with military problems abroad by employing rapid response forces and dealing with the majority of issues at the time and place that they occur. Let's look into all of the advantages we would gain by closing more foreign bases instead of closing bases here in the United States.
Caroline Herzenberg,
Hyde Park
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