BRAC votes to reshape Army Reserve, Guard centers

Six Tennessee Army Reserve centers and one National Guard Readiness Center would be closed under the recommendation, including the U.S. Army Reserve Area Maintenance Support Facility in Kingsport.

Their freed resources would be recombined into three new Armed Forces Reserve Centers.

“No jobs will be lost, but there are some positions that will be lost,” said John Evans, a spokesman for the Tennessee National Guard. On paper, as many as 1,000 positions could be lost statewide under the transformation plans, but most of those positions have been long vacant and are simply being streamlined, he said.

The combination is part of the U.S. military’s ongoing transformation project to modernize and streamline the armed forces. The nationwide Guard and Reserve consolidations were announced in 2003 as a means to making units more responsive and combat-ready.

The Base Realignment and Closure Commission unanimously approved the Pentagon-recommended plans on Wednesday.

The commission also approved several units to transfer to Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Millington in an effort to consolidate Naval Reserve training and recruitment practices. They will come from a base in Florida and a facility the commission voted to close in New Orleans.

“Adding nearly 600 new jobs in Millington will strengthen that facility as well as the surrounding community,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said in a statement. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee also applauded the move.

“As governor, I’m obviously delighted when we have more jobs in Tennessee,” Gov. Phil Bredesen said.

The commission unanimously approved realignment at Fort Campbell, Ky., which would lose one unit.

Kentucky’s Fort Knox would gain an active combat unit and add personnel. The armor training school long based there would move to Fort Benning, Ga. Also in Georgia, the commission voted to close Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem.

The commissions’ recommendations will be passed along to President Bush next month.

The fate of several Tennessee Air Guard stations, including the 118th Airlift Wing in Nashville, will be voted on later in the week.

Bredesen has joined Pennsylvania and Illinois in filing lawsuits against the Department of Defense and its recommendation to relocate the Tennessee Air National Guard’s 118th Air Lift Wing. Bredesen said the Pentagon should not have the right to close a state Guard unit that is essential to Tennessee’ disaster-response system.

“They were taking a serious component that provided a lot of capability here in the state and breaking it up for reasons that didn’t seem to me to be really that realistic,” Bredesen said Wednesday. “We don’t know if we’ll win or lose, but I think it can’t help but give us a seat at the table that we didn’t have before.”

A federal court heard arguments Wednesday from state officials in Pennsylvania, but court ruling has not been issued.