[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 23, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74221-74222]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-31631]


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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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