| Realignment and Closure (or BRAC) is a process | | | | particularly if they have families. Soldiers |
| created by the United States federal government | | | | themselves are often quite used to being |
| in an attempt to save money on military | | | | somewhat transient over the course of their |
| operations and maintenance. In short, BRAC is | | | | carreer. Many times the men and women of our |
| intended to make our military more efficient. | | | | armed forces enjoy the element of travel and |
| The BRAC procedure entails closing excess | | | | adventure involved in their jobs. It is once a |
| military installations and realigning (relocating) the | | | | soldier has a family and that family starts to grow |
| total asset inventory. Soldiers based at facilities | | | | up that having some stability in where one is living |
| slated to be closed must find another base to | | | | becomes important. It is for that reason that to |
| which they can transfer. This process has been | | | | what base a soldier and his/her family relocates is |
| carried out four times to date with more than | | | | very important. |
| 350 installations being closed. These four BRAC | | | | The base alone is not the home of a soldier. |
| rounds took place in: 1989, 1991, 1993 and 1995. | | | | When the BRAC process affects a base and the |
| The most recent round of BRAC completed in | | | | associated soldiers must move there are many |
| the fall of 2005 and with the commission's | | | | elements to consider. If the soldier has children |
| recommendations became law in November 2005. | | | | then they need to look at items like: |
| Congress created the BRAC as what they hoped | | | | Schools |
| would be a politically palatable method of affecting | | | | Physicians |
| excesses in the military. Because any given | | | | Hospitals |
| military base brings millions of dollars to its | | | | Real estate |
| surrounding area it is not unusual for challenges to | | | | Recreation |
| be raised by members of Congress from | | | | Transportation |
| affected districts. This makes initiatives such as | | | | Shopping |
| BRAC very difficult to make happen. | | | | And a host of other considerations |
| On the flip side of things, when base closures do | | | | Brac can be a blessing for a military town getting |
| take place it can mean an influx of soldiers and | | | | an influx of soldiers but does make life worrisome |
| their families to other bases and their surrounding | | | | for those same soldiers forced to relocate. It is |
| cities. This has lead to massive innitiatives being | | | | one thing to have yourself shipped around the |
| taken in order to court those soldiers still | | | | world for work, it is quite another to pick up and |
| undecided as to where they will go. Just as a base | | | | move an entire family. |
| closure can have a dramatically negative impact | | | | Yes, BRAC may be making our overall military a |
| on its surrounding town, a mass influx of soldiers | | | | more efficient, well oiled machine but the process |
| to another base can skyrocket the economy of | | | | required to get there does produce a whole new |
| the area in which that base is located. | | | | world of concerns and headaches for all invloved. |
| BRAC is a difficult thing for many soldiers | | | | |