On base closures

By Staff
Jan. 18, 2004
Gov. Haley Barbour took another important step last week by issuing an executive order re-establishing the Mississippi Military Communities Council, the state's point group on the upcoming 2005 round of military base realignment and closures, or BRAC.
Barbour's immediate action on his first day in office signifies that BRAC is a potentially devastating prospect for communities in which military bases are located, including this city, home of Naval Air Station Meridian and the 186th Air Refueling Wing of the Mississippi Air National Guard. BRAC carries huge implications for the entire state.
His comments to us the other day that every military base in Mississippi is a potential BRAC target become ever more relevant, and require ever more vigilance as the BRAC process ensues.
Barbour has indicated that saving the important military missions and $1.2 billion economic impact of military bases in Mississippi is a priority of his young administration. Working in concert with the Mississippi Military Communities Council and the communities it represents is an absolute requirement and we are encouraged by his quick action.