WHEREAS, beginning in 1988, the Pentagon began to downsize its military base structure with a series of base closures; and

WHEREAS, Congress accelerated the process by mandating scheduled base realignment and closures (BRAC) over the last decade and a half; and

WHEREAS, U.S. military bases establish a substantial economic and societal epicenter within the communities in which the bases are located; and

WHEREAS, the economies of a community, city, and even state become severely dependent upon the commerce and vitality created by the military personnel and their activities in the area; and

WHEREAS, all across the country, BRACs create a sudden economic vacuum that adversely impacts on the lives of the residents remaining after a military base has closed and its personnel have moved away; and

WHEREAS, one of the most immediate effects of a military base closure is the loss of jobs as businesses attempt to cope with the sudden decrease in commercial activity; and

WHEREAS, over the long-term, communities must deal with the extraordinary costs relating to the upkeep and redevelopment of the unoccupied military facilities and surrounding areas; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii has first-hand experience with the complexities and issues resulting from a military base closure with the closure of Barbers Point Naval Air Station in 1999; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii continues to struggle with the burdensome economic impacts and redevelopment problems of that closure; and

WHEREAS, in addition to the short-term economic loss that the State experiences when a base closes, long-term losses from such an exodus includes the loss of access to "dual use technology"; and

WHEREAS, dual use technology is a term used for formerly high tech military equipment and applications that have been recently declassified for use by the general public for commercial purposes; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii companies benefit from their proximity to military bases and are able to convert dual use technology to economic gain due to this proximity; and

WHEREAS, during this time of heightened international tensions, the increased likelihood of attack by terrorists and rogue countries, and the fragile nature of Hawaii's economy, further military base closures in the State of Hawaii would reduce the security of the State and the nation; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, that the U.S. Congress is urged to discontinue closures of U.S. military bases in the State of Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the U.S. Senate, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Hawaii's Congressional delegation.

Report Title:

U.S. Military Base Closures; Discontinue