Shutting Down The Cold War: The Politics Of Military Base Closure

Shutting Down The Cold War: The Politics Of Military Base Closure

In a process described by its critics as 'brutal' and 'heartless,' a group of faceless commissioners closed down almost 100 military bases between 1989 and 1995. The process was hailed as a means to 'take politics out of base closure,' and it succeeded insofar as surplus bases closed after a ten-year hiatus. But, as this book indicates, the politics of base protection continued. In Shutting Down the Cold War , David Sorenson finds that the most powerful congressional representatives protected bases in their states and districts, and as a consequence the military never got as many bases closed as they desired. In this volume Sorenson unveils the political factors behind the process of military base closure, using three analytical models to examine the different levels of response to the procedure. He also reveals the ways in which base closure is a classic example of governmental reduction, to be studied for lessons about both the benefits and the hazards of government contraction.From Library JournalAt the end of the Cold War, the U.S. military had far more infrastructure than it could support, given the competing needs for resources to modernize and fund the increasing levels of contingency operations. Four rounds of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) actions eventually had the effect of closing almost 100 military bases in the United States, with sometimes negligible and sometimes catastrophic effect on nearby communities. Sorenson, professor at the prestigious USAF Air War College at Maxwell AFB, describes the unbelievably complex processes and motivations that Congress, local politicians, military establishments, veterans, environmentalists, preservationists, and other stakeholders went through in base closings. The analysis is not simple but should be read closely in all communities that have military facilities. Highly recommended.?Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, KSCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.From the Back CoverIn a process described by its critics as "brutal" and "heartless", a group of faceless commissioners closed down almost 100 military bases between 1989 and 1995. In Shutting Down the Cold War, David Sorenson finds that the most powerful congressional representatives protected bases in their states and districts, and as a consequence the military never got as many bases closed as they desired. In this volume Sorenson unveils the political factors behind the process of military base closure, using three analytical models to examine the different levels of response to the procedure. He also reveals the ways in which base closure is a classic example of governmental reduction, to be studied for lessons about both the benefits and the hazards of government contraction.About the AuthorDAVID S. SORENSON is Professor of National Security Studies at the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Montgomery, Alabama. His publications includeThe Politics of Strategic Aircraft Modernization (1995) and numerous articles and chapters in professional journals and edited books. He has served as chair of the International Security and Arms Control Section of the American Political Science Association and of the International Security Studies Section of the International Studies Association.