Dateline: On the front porch swing, listening to the thunder, waiting the rain

The BRAC recommendations came out yesterday and people in this area were a little relieved. Columbus Air Force Base will actually gain some people, which appears to be a good thing. There was much consternation about the list and whether CAFB would survive. The concern is always that if a military base is lost, the local economy goes to hell in a hand basket at supersonic speeds. Not long ago I held that belief as well but then chose to write a research paper on the topic and my opinion changed.

My research on BRAC showed that, if the local leadership is proactive and works with the state, good things can result from losing a base. It takes planning, it takes cooperation, it takes effort, and most of all it take strategic vision, but BRAC can be good for a community. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad CAFB was not listed for closing. I like having a military base nearby and think there is some non-monetary value in that. I also know all too well that leaders in Mississippi are not capable of planning, cooperating, concerted effort, and we all know they lack strategic vision. So, for Columbus, losing the base would have been catastrophic.

It does look my old Reserve Center in Mobile, Alabama will be gone. I thought that was coming given the number of Sailors who remain there. So many of the units have moved to other center and the rest are drilling off-site at their supported commands now. It is difficult to argue that it should remain but it is an asset to the community, The good will and military support that comes about as a result of the efforts of the full-time support staff there is incredible, and Mobile is a Navy town.

It also looks like NAS Meridian will remain, although with some realignment. Naval Station Pascagoula will go, which again is not a surprise. It is one of the few remaining “home ports’ remaining and many of her ships will be decommissioned in the years ahead.