FMA APPLAUDS BRAC COMMISSION FOR RECOGNIZING VALUE OF PORTSMOUTH NAVAL SHIPYARD AND NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE NEW LONDON - August 25,2005

The Federal Managers Association (August 25,2005) reacted to the Base Realignment and Closure Commission’s decision this morning to remove the Naval Shipyard Portsmouth, Kittery, ME and the Naval Submarine Base New London, CT from the Pentagon’s proposed list of base closures.

During a commission meeting today, the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commissioners voted 7-1-1 to remove the Naval Shipyard located in Portsmouth, NH and Kittery, ME and the Naval Submarine Base located in New London, CT from the Pentagon’s list of proposed closures and realignments.

“The four Naval Shipyards in Washington, Hawai’i, Virginia and New Hampshire-Maine are critical to the overall operational capacity of the U.S. naval fleet, and I am thrilled to see the Commission recognize the importance of all of them in their decision today,” FMA National President Michael B. Styles said. “As a nation at war with no clear end in sight, the Commission’s support of the shipyards and in keeping the submarine naval base in New London, CT open works to maintain a strong national defense infrastructure that can address planned and unpredictable operational needs.”

As part of the Department of Defense Authorization Bill for fiscal year 2003, Congress authorized the President to establish a commission to examine any possible excesses in defense infrastructure for closure or realignment that would allow for greater cost savings. Criticism arose in the last few years after the U.S. engaged in military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq from many sources, including the Federal Managers Association, that any proposed closures or realignments would weaken our national defense. However, the BRAC process rolled on, and today the Commission has begun voting on Naval closures and realignments proposed by the Pentagon.

“Keeping Portsmouth open is not just about maintaining a strong national defense,” Styles went on to say. “The managers, employees, their families, and communities won a considerable battle to maintain their stability today. I want to thank the BRAC commissioners as well as the congressional delegations of Maine, New Hampshire, and Connecticut as well as m any others for their influential hands in saving these bases.”