Fight against BRAC begins

Four men huddle close together. Their tones are nothing more than hushed whispers.

One word-a four letter word for all intents and purposes, though not a word at all- could be heard from the tense conversation: BRAC.

The acronym, which means Base Realignment and Closure, has reared its ugly little head once again.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta called for a new BRAC round as part of the Pentagon's mandate to trim $487 billion from its budget in the next decade.

Between 490,000 and 570,000 troops could be cut from the Army alone because of budgetary shortfalls.

The immediate reaction at the local level at news of the cuts was negative.

"We had hoped the BRAC would not occur until 2015. Now they are asking there be two. One in 2013 and one in 2015," Enterprise Mayor Kenneth Boswell said.

After being appointed to the Military Stability Commission, Boswell has joined officials from across the state in a fight that many had hoped would not come.

A self-described patriot, Boswell said, "First off, the military keeps our nation free. It isn't just about the economy."

One only has to turn on the news to understand the reason why maintaining a strong national defense is important, citing a deteriorating relationship between Iran and the United States after the U.S. joined the European Union in tightening sanctions on the Arab country.

"We must stay vigilant. Where would they want a fight to occur? It would not be on their soil," Boswell said.

But the implications of BRAC do not address national security alone.

Fort Rucker has a post population of just over 19,500.

More than 5,000 soldiers live off post, adding to the local economy's real estate and retail markets.

A post of Fort Rucker's size stimulates the economies in Coffee, Houston, Dale and Pike counties.

"Close your eyes. Imagine, and yes it is horrible, that these cuts go through and Fort Rucker is no longer here," Boswell said. "One thing that people, I think, don't completely understand is that life as we know it now would be completely altered."

As a member of the commission, Boswell has received information that of the up to 570,000 Army jobs to be lost, 600 could be in Alabama.

"Preliminary numbers are that Fort Rucker will lose only six," he said. "One job is one too many."

Because one job is too many, Boswell is calling for residents to call legislators and fight for Fort Rucker and help to cautiously turn BRAC into a positive measure for the area.

For example, Boswell said consolidation of posts could bring new opportunities to the Wiregrass.

He would like to see the Naval Air Station, Whiting Field, used for helicopter training in the Milton, Fla., area relocated to the Wiregrass.

Another consolidation would be to have Fort Eustis, Va., a maintenance post, relocated to Fort Rucker.

"We have the diversity, the flexibility and the biggest training area. We are without limits and the people are already ready," Boswell said. "The most important thing is we cannot be complacent. We must be vigilant. We cannot let our guard down. We must be ready to fight."