
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, July 11, 1993                   TAG: 9307110032
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder/Tribune
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

MILITARY RESHAPING UNDER WAY

Now that the 1993 military base closing exercise is over, the Pentagon can get on with reshaping the armed forces for the late 1990s and fitting them on a shrinking but still ample list of facilities.

Forces are being reorganized and basing is being changed as new strategy evolves for an uncertain period of regional conflicts, terrorism, ethnic violence and peacekeeping operations.

In the new scheme, with base closures coming from California to South Carolina, some big installations will inevitably grow bigger as ships, aircraft and personnel are shifted about.

The Navy especially will have larger concentrations at fewer bases as it happily gives up excess capacity on all three coasts - capacity once intended for a proposed 600-ship fleet that failed to materialize even before the Cold War ended. The likely prospect now seems to be an end-of-the-century fleet of 300 to 340 ships.

Consequently, the admirals say, there will be greater concentrations of ships and aircraft in four areas: Norfolk, Va., San Diego, Mayport-Jacksonville, Fla., and the Pacific Northwest (Bremerton, Bangor, Everett and Whidbey Island, Wash.).

This outlook has given rise to the idea that the Navy will have a few "megaports" - notably at Norfolk and San Diego - instead of the previously planned numbers of ship home ports all around the U.S. coasts, which were designed to be well dispersed against a Soviet naval and missile attack.

While there was anguish in many communities facing base closings, the downsizing of the defense budget and the military forces has far outpaced the shutting of installations.

Defense Secretary Les Aspin has told Congress, for example, that the defense budget will be cut 42 percent in the 1995-1997 period and the forces will be reduced 30 percent. But in the same period, domestic military bases will be cut just 15 percent.

More extensive closings can thus be expected in the next round of base studies in 1995.

The services are trying to adjust their base structures to fiscal realities and new strategic needs.

These needs include more basing of combat units at home as forces are drawn down overseas, focus on regional conflict instead of massive land war in Central Europe, readiness for swift movement to hot spots to prevent conflict or end it fast, emphasis on naval engagements on coastal areas instead of the high seas, and development of high-tech air weapons well beyond what was seen in the Gulf war.

The Army's long-term basing plans call for locating the right kinds of forces - tank, infantry, airborne - at the right places for rapid deployment in a crisis.

by CNB