Editing Base Realignment and Closure (section)

==Background==
The [[Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949]], passed after the 1947 reorganization of the [[National Military Establishment]], reduced the number of U.S. military bases, forts, posts, and stations. The subsequent 1950s buildup for the Cold War (e.g., during the [[Korean War]]) resulted in large numbers of new installations, such as the [[Permanent System radar stations]] and [[Semi-Automatic Ground Environment]] (SAGE) [[NORAD Control Center|control centers]]. By 1959, plans for even larger numbers of Cold War installations were canceled (e.g., DoD's June 19, 1959, [[Continental Air Defense Command#1956 reorganization|Continental Air Defense Program]] reduced the number of [[Super Combat Center]] underground nuclear bunkers to 7). In 1958, U.S. [[Intercontinental ballistic missile|Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles]] (ICBMs) began to replace [[Strategic Air Command]] bombers. From 1960 to 1964, the [[Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower]] and [[Presidency of John F. Kennedy|Kennedy administrations]] closed 574 U.S. military bases around the world, particularly after President [[John F. Kennedy]] was briefed after his inauguration that the [[missile gap]] was not a concern.{{r|TDR196411}}

;1961 closures: On March 28, 1961, President Kennedy announced the closure of 73 military establishments.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KxMgAAAAIBAJ&pg=1309,2847321&dq=snark+presque&hl=en|title=The Lewiston Daily Sun - Google News Archive Search|website=News.google.com|access-date=30 March 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=99 - Special Message to the Congress on the Defense Budget. March 28, 1961 | website=The American Presidency Project | url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=8554 | access-date=Oct 9, 2018 | archive-date=September 21, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921054719/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=8554 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

;1964 closures:  "In December 1963, Secretary McNamara announced the closure of twenty-six DOD installations or activities in the CONUS".{{r|Shaw}}{{rp|134}}

;1965 closures:  Secretary of Defense [[Robert McNamara]] announced 95 base closures/realignments in November 1964: 80 in the United States (33 states & [[Washington, D.C.|DC]]) and 15 overseas.{{r|TDR196411}} Closures included the [[Brooklyn Navy Yard]], the [[Brooklyn Army Terminal]], the [[Springfield Armory]], six bomber bases, and 15 [[SAGE radar stations|Air Defense Command radar stations]]—a realignment transferred [[Highlands Air Force Station]] to the adjacent [[Highlands Army Air Defense Site]].<ref name=TDR196411>{{Cite news |date=November 20, 1964 |title=Highlands Radar Site Closing |url=http://209.212.22.88/data/rbr/1960-1969/1964/1964.11.20.pdf |location=[[Red Bank, New Jersey]] |newspaper=[[Red Bank Register|The Daily Register]] |access-date=2011-10-12 |quote=McNamara Firm on Base Shutdowns … Temporary Team … Highlands Air Force Station … personnel will be inactivated by July 1966, leaving Army radar unit at base intact |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425063154/http://209.212.22.88/data/rbr/1960-1969/1964/1964.11.20.pdf |archive-date=April 25, 2012 }}</ref>

;1968 Project 693: [[Project 693]]<ref>Defense Agencies Summary: DoD Project 693, nd, fldr FY 1969 Budget, box 71, ASD(C) files, OSD Hist.</ref> was established by Defense Secretary [[Clark Clifford]] during the [[Vietnam War]] for reducing programs and personnel, and the project also closed several military installations.<ref>{{Cite report |last=Drea |first=Edward J. |isbn=978-0-16-088135-0 |year=1984 |title=McNamara, Clifford, and the Burdens of Vietnam 1965-1969 |url=http://history.defense.gov/resources/OSDSeries_Vol6.pdf |volume=VI, Secretaries of Defense Historical Series |publisher=Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense |access-date=2013-08-30 |quote=the U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command, denominated a specified command because, although part of the Air Force, it came under the operational control of the JCS.<sup>24</sup> Clifford had appointed a group known as Project 693 to determine which programs to sacrifice when necessary.<sup>65</sup> ... McNamara test, January 25 66, House Subcte No 2, HCAS, ''Hearing: Department of Defense Decision to Reduce the Number and Types of Manned Bombers in the Strategic Air Command'', 6084. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029201119/http://history.defense.gov/resources/OSDSeries_Vol6.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-29 }}</ref>

;1969 realignments: The DoD realigned 307 military bases beginning with an announcement in October 1969.<ref>{{Cite news |date=October 28, 1969 |title=Niagara Falls Air Force Units Are Phased Out |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=l-hdAAAAIBAJ&pg=4655,8359071&dq=niagara-falls-air-force&hl=en |format=Google news archive |newspaper=Observer-Reporter |access-date=2013-09-03}}</ref>

; 1973 closures: 224 closures were announced in 1973.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid%3D266%26dat%3D19730416%26id%3Dvqc0AAAAIBAJ%26sjid%3D52gFAAAAIBAJ%26pg%3D1393%2C5205517  |title=Kentucky New Era|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222165346/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=266&dat=19730416&id=vqc0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=52gFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1393,5205517  |url-status=dead  |archive-date=December 22, 2015  |access-date=June 16, 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=19730417&id=tBozAAAAIBAJ&pg=4255,4257487|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160515084813/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2245&dat=19730417&id=tBozAAAAIBAJ&sjid=2TIHAAAAIBAJ&pg=4255,4257487|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-05-15|title=Lodi News-Sentinel}}</ref>

;1974 Project Concise: [[Project Concise]] eliminated most of the [[Project Nike]] missile locations which generally each had two sites, a radar station on an elevated landform for guidance and command/control, and a launch area that had launch rails and stored missiles and warheads. A 1976 follow-on program to Concise closed additional installations.

;1983 Grace Commission: The [[Grace Commission]] was President [[Ronald Reagan]]'s "Private Sector Survey" on cost control that concluded that "savings could be made in the military base structure" and recommended establishing an independent commission to study the issue. Public Law 100–526 endorsed the review in October 1988 and authorized the "special commission to recommend base realignments and closures" to the Secretary of Defense and provided relief from NEPA provisions that had hindered the base closure process.{{r|Shaw}}{{rp|156}}

;1988 Carlucci Commission: On May 3, 1988, the Carlucci Commission was chartered by Secretary of Defense [[Frank Carlucci]],{{r|Shaw}}{{rp|156}} which in December 1988 recommended closing five [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] bases: [[Chanute Air Force Base]] in Illinois, [[George Air Force Base]], [[Mather Air Force Base]] and [[Norton Air Force Base]] in California, and [[Pease Air National Guard Base|Pease Air Force Base]] in New Hampshire.{{r|Shaw}}{{rp|161}}