MILITARY BASE CLOSURES: DoD's Updated Net Savings Estimate Remains Substantial
Abstract
Through four rounds of base closures and realignments in 1988,1991, 1993, and 1995, the Department of Defense expected to reduce its domestic infrastructure and provide needed dollars for high priority programs such as weapons modernization. Although the Department projects it will realize significant recurring savings from the closure and realignment actions, as noted in your request, many members of Congress continue to raise questions as to how much, if any, money has been saved through the base closure process. This issue takes on increased importance as the Department considers the need for additional base closures. We have examined costs and savings associated with the base closure process in recent years. In two reports issued in late 1998, we concluded that net savings from the four closure rounds were substantial but that the cost and savings estimates used to calculate the net savings were imprecise. The Department calculated net savings by deducting the reported costs to implement closure actions from reported savings achieved through the elimination or reduction of personnel and base operations and the cancellation of planned military construction projects. Reviewing the Department's data, we found that cost estimates did not include all costs attributable to the closures and that savings estimates were not routinely updated in the Department's records. Since that time, the Department has revised its estimates; and its data indicate that net savings have increased.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2001
- Accession Number
- ADA392634
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office