THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 8, 1995 TAG: 9503080529
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
The military base closing commission formally added North Dakota's Minot Air Force Base on Tuesday to the list of installations it is considering for cutbacks.
Members of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission say they want the Minot area to be on notice that the base is at risk of being scaled back because the Pentagon wants to relocate its nuclear missiles.
The Defense Department last week proposed removing the 150 Minuteman III missiles based at Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. But the department said the missiles may have to be removed from Minot instead because of questions about a missile-defense treaty.
Adding Minot to the list Tuesday was considered a formality. Minot did not appear separately on the list of proposed closings and realignments that the Pentagon submitted last week to the commission.
The commission has come under criticism in the past for not giving communities enough notice that their bases are being considered as alternatives to installations the Pentagon proposed to close or cut back.
Also Tuesday, top Army officials said local economic impact was not a determining factor in deciding the military installations the Army is targeting for closure or cuts.
Pentagon officials have said before that military value took precedence over economic issues.
Army Secretary Togo D. West told the independent Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission that economic impact was ``something we paid attention to'' but ``did not act as a final determination in either our decision to include or not include an installation.''
Navy Secretary John Dalton said Monday that concern about job losses in California led to a shortening of the Navy's list.
The recommendations for the latest round of closings and cuts are before the commission, which can make additions, deletions or changes before forwarding its own list to President Clinton by July 1.
KEYWORDS: BASE CLOSINGS MILITARY BASES by CNB