The hearing last week in which the leaders of the Air Force appeared in front of the House Appropriations Committee did not make big headlines. Neither did a late February speech from an assistant secretary of Defense.

But the hearing and the speech had something important in common – they both proposed having another Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round.

Will Congress go along with more base closings? In 2012 they didn’t, and who knows if they will in the future because military bases mean jobs in their states and districts – and jobs means votes.

As for Montana, U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-Mont.) was mentioned in an article dated February 28, 2014, stating that he would not oppose another round of base closures. Back in 2012, Tester urged the DOD to close “outdated military bases overseas instead of domestic military facilities.”

I think they should hold two BRAC rounds in the near future – one for overseas bases and one for domestic bases.

It will be interesting to hear how the current U.S. House and Senate candidates feel about new BRAC rounds because this is something they will probably face if elected. Malmstrom AFB (near Great Falls) is weaker than ever in the public’s eye, and one can never predict what would happen with Montana’s Air National Guard wing if BRAC happens.

The last BRAC round was in 2005 and the one before that was in 1995.

Another BRAC round would be like you or me holding a yard sale to get rid of the extra junk we’ve collected over the past few years. You know it needs to happen; it’s just doing it that is the problem. Ultimately when we get rid of our stuff we end up having more money and space to collect more stuff.

Supporters of Montana’s military should start preparing like other communities are for another round of BRAC.

## END ##