Fearing the economic losses to their communities, elected officials and local leaders are joining together in a desperate effort to prevent the Pentagon from closing military installations. The Department of Defense (DoD) has targeted 33 major bases for closure and plans to realign 29 others. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says the closures and realignments will save the military $5.5 billion a year and estimates “a net savings of $48.8 billion over 20 years.”

U.S. Senators have introduced legislation to stop the base closings, while governors, mayors, county commissioners and business leaders are trying to convince the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission to reconsider the Pentagon's recommendations. Over the summer, commission members will visit the affected communities, talk to local leaders and make final recommendations to President Bush, who along with Congress, will accept or reject their proposal by late fall.

“Senators from Maine to Alaska are standing united against the Pentagon's premature plans to close military bases,” says South Dakota Sen. John Thune, whose state is in danger of losing Ellsworth Air Force Base. Portsmouth, N.H., Mayor Evelyn Sirrell, agrees. “Along with threatening our national security, closing the [Portsmouth Naval Shipyard] will have an overwhelmingly negative economic impact on our area and the entire state.”

Anticipating that the Portsmouth shipyard was on the cutting block, New Hampshire state lawmakers appropriated $100,000 earlier this year to fight its closure. Gov. Edward Rendell of Pennsylvania has vowed to use $1 million to stop the Pentagon from shuttering the Willow Grove Naval Air Station as well as several other smaller installations in his state. “Over the last four BRAC rounds, Pennsylvania has suffered a disproportionate share of cuts, and we have paid more than our fair share,” Rendell says. In Texas, where the Pentagon wants to shutter four bases and realign six more, Gov. Rick Perry has created the BRAC Response Strike Force, consisting of state and local lawmakers, in an attempt to save the installations.

The DoD is discouraging local communities from fighting the closures. Instead, military officials are urging them to embrace the closures and work to try and find ways to redevelop the bases for other economic means. While some communities are trying to save local bases, others are preparing for expansion at their military installations. Nearly 50 bases are scheduled for an increase in personnel, creating a different set of infrastructure challenges for local officials. The DoD's Economic Adjustment office has identified “off-base housing scarcity and school overcrowding” as challenges facing communities with expanding military installations.

In the meantime, many communities are bracing for the impact caused by closing a local base. Rumsfeld says his agency is ready to aid the affected cities and counties. “The department will take great care to work with these communities, with the respect that they have earned, and the government stands ready with economic assistance.” Also, the U.S. Labor Department announced in late May that it will provide planning funds totalling up to $1 million to communities whose civilian jobs may be lost because of the base closings.

The author is Washington correspondent for American City & County.