Page 7 - Aerotech News and Review 12-18-15

States throw money at military bases to keep them open

CZ+FOOJGFS.D%FSNPUU Of the nearly two dozen states where WLRQVVDLGKHZRXOGHQFRXUDJHVWDWHVWRLQYHVWLQEDVHVWRMXPSVWDUW
the military has a major presence, SURMHFWV/LPLWHGPLOLWDU\FRQVWUXFWLRQIXQGVDUHEHLQJSULRULWL]HG
Associated Press he added.
slightly more than half have spent state
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the federal government’s role by picking up the tab for construction installations, the Association of Defense DQGWKHORFDOFRPPXQLWLHV7KHUH¶VEHQH¿WFHUWDLQO\WRWKH8QLWHG
and repairs, saying they can’t afford not to. 6WDWHV1DY\DQGWKH0DULQH&RUSVZKHUHVWDWHVDUHGRLQJWKDW´
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7KHQXPEHURIVWDWHVZLOOLQJWRVSHQGWD[SD\HUPRQH\WR¿[ VSHQGLQJRFFXUUHGDIWHUZKHQ in Groton, Conn., recently.
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KDVLQFUHDVHGVWHDGLO\LQWKHSDVW¿YH\HDUV6WDWHRI¿FLDOVDUJXHWKH PLOLWDU\FRQVWUXFWLRQEHJDQVKULQNLQJ &RQQHFWLFXWSUHVHQWHG0F*LQQZLWKDPLOOLRQRIIHUIRUWZR
Pentagon keeps asking for base closings and they want to protect said Tim Ford, the association’s chief PRUHSURMHFWVDWWKHEDVHDQG0F*LQQKHOSHGRSHQDQHZIDFLOLW\
their bases and the revenue they bring in. IRU1DY\GLYHUVFRPPRQO\UHIHUUHGWRDVDGLYHORFNHUDQRWKHU
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Essentially, states are treating bases like large corporations they
want to keep within their borders, and at least one high-ranking “So now you have this proliferation of other states looking to 0F*LQQVDLGKHWKLQNV&RQQHFWLFXW¶VVSHQGLQJZLOO³DEVROXWHO\´
1DY\RI¿FLDOVD\VLW¶VDJRRGLGHD&RQQHFWLFXWKDVEHHQDOHDGHU VHHKRZWKH\FDQSURYLGHGROODUVIRUWKHLULQVWDOODWLRQV´)RUGVDLG better position the base if there’s another round of base closings.
VHWWLQJDVLGHPLOOLRQWRLPSURYHDJLQJLQIUDVWUXFWXUHDWWKHQD- “It has started to raise the question of, how far do you go? Where’s 7KHEDVHZDVQHDUO\VKXWWHUHGGXULQJWKHURXQGODUJHO\EH-
val submarine base there, much like it’s spending hundreds of mil- the point by which you have to draw a line, where this is a federal cause of its aging infrastructure.
OLRQVRIGROODUVWRNHHSFRPSDQLHVLQ&RQQHFWLFXWDQGFUHDWHMREV action, this is our federal government, our military, and how much
should states really invest?” ³7KH1RFULWHULRQIRUPDLQWDLQLQJDEDVHLQVWHDGRIFORVLQJLW
“We are changing the ways we think about military bases,” said RUUHDOLJQLQJLWLVPLOLWDU\YDOXH´0F*LQQVDLG³$QGWKHPLOLWDU\
%RE5RVVH[HFXWLYHGLUHFWRURI&RQQHFWLFXW¶V2I¿FHRI0LOLWDU\ 6WDWHVDUHWKURZLQJWKHLUPRQH\DZD\EHFDXVHWKHVHSURMHFWV value of the naval submarine base is enhanced by having, in this
$IIDLUV³7KHVHDUHELJFRPPHUFLDOHQWHUSULVHV7KH\DUHSXEOLFO\ won’t be enough to change minds in a future round of base clos- particular case, a dive locker.”
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these bases, you have to look at them the same way you look at a curity, a Washington think tank on national security and defense While Congress has denied the Defense Department’s recent
corporation.” policies. UHTXHVWVIRUEDVHFORVLQJVPDQ\VD\PRUHDUHLQHYLWDEOH7RSUH-
SDUH0DVVDFKXVHWWVLVUHGXFLQJHQHUJ\FRVWVDWLWVEDVHVWRPDNH
2IWKHQHDUO\WZRGR]HQVWDWHVZKHUHWKHPLOLWDU\KDVDPDMRU “States should spend money investing in the local community, in them more valuable.
SUHVHQFHVOLJKWO\PRUHWKDQKDOIKDYHVSHQWVWDWHPRQH\WR¿[ health and public safety, and what money they don’t need should
infrastructure on military installations, the Association of Defense return to their people in the form of lower taxes,” said Hendrix, a Rhode Island copied Connecticut’s approach and passed legisla-
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when the Defense Department’s budget for military construction and Assessments Program. PRQH\\HW6WDWH6HQ/RXLV'L3DOPDVDLG5KRGH,VODQGYDOXHVWKH
EHJDQVKULQNLQJVDLG7LP)RUGWKHDVVRFLDWLRQ¶VFKLHIH[HFXWLYH economic impact but is balancing competing funding priorities.
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said, so states are spending money to “compete in a competition 0RVWVWDWHVZLWKDPDMRUPLOLWDU\SUHVHQFHKDYHSDLGIRULP-
/DVW\HDU0DVVDFKXVHWWVDXWKRUL]HGVSHQGLQJPLOOLRQRQ that hasn’t been declared.” SURYHPHQWVWRVFKRROVURDGVRUKRXVLQJMXVWRXWVLGHEDVHV
its six bases. Cities are contributing, too: Huntsville, Ala., paid to
build houses on an Army post for high-ranking generals. 'HQQLV0F*LQQDVVLVWDQWVHFUHWDU\RIWKH1DY\IRULQVWDOOD- ,Q9LUJLQLDPLOLWDU\LQVWDOODWLRQVDUHLQJRRGVKDSHEXWWKHVWDWH
DQGORFDOFRPPXQLWLHVKDYHVSHQWPRUHWKDQPLOOLRQWRSUH-
0RVWEDVHVDUHDFRPPXQLW\¶VODUJHVWHPSOR\HUDQGLQPDQ\ YHQWGHYHORSPHQWFORVHWRWKHPE\SXUFKDVLQJODQGVDLG-RKQ&
FDVHVDUHWKHODUJHVWHPSOR\HULQDVWDWH)RUGVDLG7KH\LQIXVH +DUYH\-U9LUJLQLD¶VVHFUHWDU\RIYHWHUDQVDQGGHIHQVHDIIDLUV7KH
capital into an area through salaries, expenditures and contracts, legislature also passed a bond authorization in case infrastructure
creating a vibrant economy and tax base and helping other busi- improvements are needed, he added.
ness thrive, he added.

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