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Military-industrial practices have left widespread contamination affecting land, water, air, and human and nonhuman bodies. This article uses decolonial analysis to examine the racial-colonial foundations that underlie contemporary efforts to reuse former U.S. military land for development projects. Interrelating scholarship on security and development with that of militarization and political ecology, I use "geosocial spectacle" to probe the material and pedagogical governance, frontier logics, and colonial aesthetics that emerge through land remediation and redevelopment. Featuring two military sites within U.S. base closure and realignment—the U.S. Front Range area of Colorado and former U.S. unincorporated territory of the Panama Canal Zone—the article delineates and expounds on two types of U.S. military land conversions: brownfields and biodiversity recreation. The article interrelates the conversion of contaminated land in both cases as waste frontier that facilitates ongoing cycles of land repossession as a form of dispossession and containment or denial of war. The article concludes by advocating for decolonial studies of the global color line entrenched by the U.S. Pentagon's ongoing climate colonialism, to subvert the compartmentalized harms of war and capitalist extraction, and to galvanize explicitly anticolonial, antiracist land reuse and governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can members of Congress escape blame for bad news in their districts? To maximise their chances of re-election, legislators seek to maintain their electoral connections with voters, defending key district interests. Could actions by successive presidential administrations over the past three decades to close obsolete military bases have undermined such efforts? Although Congress and the president have deployed Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commissions to facilitate such closures and insulate individual members of Congress from directly traceable costs of those decisions, the electoral implications of base closures have yet to be fully probed. Focusing on the House of Representatives, I examine all major BRAC closings, and find that major base closures do not affect the electoral fortunes of incumbents. Rather, voters predominantly and typically punish the president's party and first-term lawmakers during these elections. I conclude that Congressional fears about the electoral costs of base closings are likely unfounded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When military community closure occurs, it can be challenging for service members and the surrounding community. Given that services and social networks disappear; this is particularly salient in overseas locations. Few studies have systematically assessed the impact of base closure on military community members. In the present study, 743 soldiers, 114 Army civilian employees, and 54 military spouses living in two closing U.S. military communities in Germany were surveyed about transformation stressors, mental health, and factors associated with better adjustment such as individual coping, leadership behaviors, and community cohesion. While individual coping was associated with fewer sleep problems, and individual coping and leadership were associated with less psychological distress, community cohesion generally overrode these effects in the final step of regression models. Thus, while coping and leadership are important, community connection appears to confer benefits to the affected individuals even in the context of base closure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines military base closures in Vermont in the 1920s, following the end of World War I. Enactment of the Defense Act of 1920, which sought the disposal of World War I military installations and facilities; Broad military retrenchment pursued in Vermont; Execution of a deliberate military land acquisition policy; Purchase of a new range for the local National Guard.

The article focuses on the speech of French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Cherbourg, France on March 21, 2008. It highlights the nuclear policy of France which includes the plan to reduce the French nuclear arsenal to fewer than 300 warheads and reinforce several disarmament measures. Sarkozy also revealed a new defense strategy in his speech on June 17, 2008. Moreover, a 350-page white paper is consist of several plans and will be submitted to parliament for approval. The plans include the reduction of French military and civilian personnel from 320,000 to 266,000, replacement of outdated equipment, and closure of bases in the next six or seven years. President Sarkozy's other plans regarding the nuclear power of France are discussed. Chart on French arsenal is also provided.

Contrary to ample attention on American military base closures at home, the consequences of base closures abroad remain under-examined even as the American military continues to adjust its global force posture. South Korea, the third biggest host of US military bases overseas, is an under-investigated case despite offering useful insights applicable to other US base hosts. This article examines short-term local-level consequences of US base departures in South Korea, with a focus on environmental and redevelopment challenges that shape the political and economic fate of former base sites. Detailed analyses and interviews on the oft-overlooked fate of multiple post-military sites draw a rather unsettling picture: Most sites remain empty, temporarily deserted and heavily contaminated spaces plagued by redevelopment difficulties. When overseas American bases are closed, they leave problems behind and those problems persist long after base sites return to host communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically investigates the impact of military base realignments and closures on regional economic activity in light of the 2005 round of Base Realignment and Closure actions. Baseline regressions with county-level data show employment multipliers comparable to those generated from conventional input-output models. However, controlling for possible endogeneity and other regional-specific factors, regressions indicate more tenuous results for spillover effects from the military to the private sector. Only the contractor type of base employment generated economically and statistically meaningful impacts on local employment. In addition, there is strong evidence of asymmetric effects between military buildups and drawdowns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the base realignment and closure recommendations released by the Pentagon in May 2005. Since 1988, the Pentagon has proposed closing or reorganizing hundreds of military bases. Proponents see this periodic exercise as necessary belt-tightening that adapts the military to post-Cold War realities. The recommendations focused on consolidating smaller facilities and realigning existing missions. The Pentagon's recommendations also reflected the shifting emphasis of U.S. national security interests away from Europe and the Soviet Union, and toward the Pacific region and the global war on terrorism.

The article explores on the military-financial agreement between the U.S. and Ecuador which allow the U.S. military to use the air and naval bases at Salinas and the Galápagos islands for the defense of the Panama Canal. It highlights the struggle of the U.S. Navy to abandon its bombing range that lead to the closure of the military facilities in the island. It also history of global campaigns against foreign military bases wherein the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents were engaged in counterintelligence surveillance in Ecuador.

In The Particularistic President we challenge the dominant paradigm asserting presidential universalism. Instead, we argue that presidents possess strong electoral and partisan incentives to pursue policies that prioritize the needs of some Americans over those of others. In this article, we review our larger argument and expand upon our analyses of two policy areas where presidents have unilateral authority over distributive outcomes: natural disaster declarations and military base closures. In the former, we find strong evidence that President Barack Obama favored both swing and core states in the 2012 election year. In the latter, we find evidence of both electoral and partisan particularism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Military base closures have left 600,000 acres of U.S. land contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO). Recent research has demonstrated a method for quantifying the probability of residual UXO harming future land users. Here, we explore how a community neighboring a closed, UXO-contaminated military base responds to the probabilistic risk information this method produces. We explore how probabilistic information affects their risk understanding, risk management preferences, risk perceptions, and worry. We test eight different communication formats employing varying combinations of textual risk descriptions, comparative risk information, stacked bar graphs illustrating the proportion of future land users at risk, and textual summaries and/or graphical histograms presenting uncertainty. We find that stacked bar graphs double the odds of correctly reporting the probability of harm and decrease the perceived risk, compared to textual descriptions. Providing histograms or summary uncertainty information decreases the odds of correctly reporting the probability of harm by about one-half, compared to communications without uncertainty information. We also find that risk communication formats do not alter risk management preferences. We recommend that as EPA reevaluates its UXO risk management policies in the coming year, the agency shift to quantitative rather than its current qualitative approach to assessing and communicating UXO risks [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the political economy of military base closure in the United States. The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act was passed in 1988 in an attempt to insulate base closure and realignment from politic influence. The political pressure to influence the process remains strong, however, given the negative effects base closures can often have on a local economy. Using data from the 2005 BRAC round, we examine whether the current process insulates base closure and realignment from traditional political influences. We find no evidence of political influence on base closings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Military bases have always been complicated as a policy area, with the demands of national security policy and military strategy often at odds with local and state interests and constituent demands upon elected officials. Over the course of more than 200 years, the domestic military basing structure has changed and adapted, often the result of a compendium of factors including shifting military strategies, technological advances, differing alliances, and the changing demographics and constituent desires within a given area or region. The Executive and Legislative branches have both been intimately involved in the military base decision-making process, both indetermining where to establish bases and also in the process to select bases for closure or realignment. Over the past thirty years, the issue of base closures has become even more acutely political and, ultimately, led to the creation of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) as a successful method to select bases for closure and realignment while also compelling Congress and the President to comply with those decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article the Nash bargaining solution (NBS) is proposed by the authors which does not require costly assessments by the military decision maker. The authors illustrate its possible application with an example from base realignment and closure (BRAC). As stated, NBS yields an optimal choice set without having to impose ad hoc assessments of nonmonetary costs and benefits by incorporating the preferences of the divisions submitting recommendations.

Since 1988 the United States has closed nearly two dozen major military installations and reclassified them as national wildlife refuges. By presenting a case study of one site of military-to-wildlife conversion, this article examines the formation of these places and the implications of casting military practices and environmental conservation as compatible activities. As lands where military and environmental attributes can be perceived as inseparable, military-to-wildlife sites exemplify hybrid geographies that challenge dualistic notions of nature and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We identify the causal effect of a reduction in military personnel on a number of socioeconomic indicators within the peripheries of military bases. The base realignments and closures in Germany are used as an exogenous source of variation that allows us to identify the effect of a demand shock on household income, output, unemployment, and tax revenue within a specified buffer zone around each base. The analysis covers 298 communities for the period 2003-2007. Consistent with evidence found elsewhere, we find that these base adjustments have only a marginal impact on the local community in which the bases are located. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the community struggle, based both on class and colonial resistance, to regain the lands that comprised the military base known as Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico. It highlights the continued community struggle against militarism after ending military occupation and closing down bases. The struggle is to ensure that formerly militarized lands and resources will benefit the communities most impacted by the bases. According to the author, the military bases often become targets for corporate and elite control due to their locations in terms of accessible coastlines, fertile lands and abundant water resources.

President Obama has announced that the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay will be closed by January 22, 2010. He has also said that at least some of the detainees facing criminal prosecution will be tried in military commissions. The system of military commissions established by President Bush after the 9/11 attacks, as well as the one which Congress enacted in 2006 following the Supreme Court's Hamdan decision, were widely criticized as being unproductive and not meeting international legal standards. The Congress has, very recently, revised the rules and procedures for military commissions to make them fair, effective and much more like those used for courts-martial. This article compares and contrasts trials in revised military commissions with trials in federal district courts. It concludes that a combination of both forums would best serve the President, and that military commissions are still a prudent option for prosecuting some detainees where there are security and admissibility of evidence concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a research on the analysis of Army installations through the use of land use change analysis method. It discusses the use of Total Army Basing Study (TABS) to develop a comparative analysis of Army installations as basis to the decision-making process of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). It also discusses the importance of using Military Value analysis as the primary factor to be considered in making closure and recommendations on Army installations.

The article focuses on the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission known as BRAC. It cites how BRAC became a law in Fort Bragg, North Carolina and the challenge it poses to every community. It indicates the goal of the formation of Fort Bragg/Pope Air Force Base BRAC Regional Task Force (BRAC RTF) and how it becomes a model for other regions to follow. The article also notes that the relocation of major Army commands places substantial demands on the civilian workforce in local regions especially the establishment of the All American Center for Workforce Innovation.

The article presents a description on how the Fort Benjamin Harrison Army base was listed for closure in the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round in the U.S. It discusses the legal aspect of the Fort which was decommissioned in 1996, the creation of a Local Redevelopment Authority and the Fort Harrison Reuse Authority (FHRA), to implement a master reuse plan for the former Army base. It is also stated that Fort Harrison is recognized as one of the best military base reuse programs in the country.

Fort Ritchie Army Garrison in Cascade, Maryland, slated for closure as part of the 1995 base realignment and closure (BRAC) round, officially ceased military operations on September 30, 1998. More than eight years later, a confluence of circumstances had prevented its reuse, and the community had yet to benefit from reuse efforts. To understand how such base closings affect the local community and the character of a place, an ethnographic case study and a post hoc social impact assessment were conducted. Told in this article is the story of how one community has responded and adjusted to the loss of the military, which provides lessons for other communities facing base closings and for federal entities tasked with overseeing and facilitating the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the closure of the Guantanamo military base in the U.S. Guantanamo is a military operated prison designed for the detention and interrogation of the suspected terrorists outside the legal framework. The closure scheme has started due to the contamination of the prison expressed by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to the House Appropriations Committee. According to President George W. Bush, the closure of the Guantanamo will not be an easy task because it requires creative diplomacy, political resolve and risk assumption base.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate regional effects of military base closures in Sweden during the last decades. Our analysis is based on a regional growth model, where two equations are estimated; one equation describing the average income growth rate and one equation describing the net migration rate. The data set is a panel of 31 Swedish municipalities covering the period 1983–1998. Our main finding is that a closure of a military base has not had any significant impact on the subsequent average income growth rate nor the net migration rate in the affected municipalities. One potential explanation for these results relates to the labour market and the composition of the labour force. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines a series of group desertions and a rebellion attempt by soldiers employed by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) under the rule of Cape Town, South Africa Governor Pieter Gysbert Noodt between 1727 and 1729. Noting that Noodt's reputation for cruelty does not completely explain the military unrest, the author explores the overall conditions of 18th-century VOC soldiers during a period of rapid frontier expansion. Particular attention is given to how the abandonment of the VOC outpost Rio de Lagoa, or Delagoa Bay, due to low profitability influenced discontent in the Cape.

The article contends that closings of air bases don't always have to bring negative results and calamity to communities. The remarkable lease of life through privatization at the Newark Air Force Base in Heath, Ohio, illustrates the fact and is leading the way for such ventures. Privatization was successfully effected amidst a lot of uncertainty and questioning. The former Air Force facility has new dimensions to it, top defense and aerospace contractors operate from here and is the 18th largest industrial park in Central Ohio. The Port Authority, the fourth largest port authority in Ohio manages the former Newark Air Force Base. The former Air Force base buildings are now completely leased out by the Port Authority. INSET: Achievements During and After the Successful ….

The article focuses on the importance of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process of the U.S. Department of Defense to the Military Health System (MHS). It says that the process evaluates the healthcare services of the MHS and analyzes the ways to better serve the U.S. Armed Forces. The goal of BRAC is to enhance the utilization and distribution of military infrastructure.

Focuses on the base realignments and closures (BRAC) initiated by the Department of Defense in the U.S. Emphasis of the 2005 BRAC on eliminating surplus base infrastructure; Operation and maintenance of redundant bases costs; Analysis on challenges to the redevelopment and recovery from base closings. INSET: BASE CLOSURES AS DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES.

Focuses on the impact of military base closures on the U.S. Congressional elections. Role of military base realignments and closures in reducing civilian and military jobs; Assessment of the effect of military base closures of 1995 on the incumbent's vote share in the U.S. House election of 1996; Analysis of major base closures and realignments in the country.

Abstract This study examines the indirect effects of military installations on county–level private employment, and specifically the special cases of base closure under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) proceedings of 1988, 1991, 1993, and 1995. Local employment impacts are considered within a partial adjustment construct of the changes model, a specification that facilitates the decomposition of defense personnel changes into their positive, negative, and BRAC–related components. The latter two components are subsequently examined for asymmetric effects attributable to ordinary force drawdown on the one hand, and base closure on the other. Also considered are the specific effects of direct federal assistance as well as facilities conversion and reutilization within BRAC communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on a study that examined whether federal properties influenced regional growth in the U.S. in the period 1972-1994, and states that the relationship between these two continues. The post-Cold War military base closures and shrinking defense budgets have brought the issue to the forefront again. According to research finding, federal facilities that play a role in the nation's science and technology programs have exerted more influence on regional economies than other federal facilities. It was concluded that despite base closure and realignment, the military's industrial and research and development facilities continue to generate growth in the regions in which they are located.

Examines proposals for the closure and conversion of military bases to combat problems in the budget of the U.S. Department of Defense. Creation of the Armament Retooling and Manufacturing Support (ARMS) initiative; Use of military bases for commercial business; Details about the ARMS initiative.

Focuses on the economic effects of military base closure during 1971–94 in the U.S. Creation of dataset to analyze the county-level of employment and personal income effects; Relation of employment costs to direct job loss associated with military transfer; Assessment on the economic impact of the closures.

Presents information on a study which focused on the potential of tourism as a means to replace military function in affected areas. Information on the reduction of military presence in countries around the globe; Impact of military base closures and downsizing; Tourism as a means of economic redevelopment; Conclusions.

Provides information on a study which examined the closure of Castle Air Force Base in Atwater, California and why the effects of base closures are generally not catastrophic. Information about the air force base; Impact of base closure on markets; Discussion of unemployment needs.

Analyzes the structure of the base-closing process and the procedural requirements imposed on the Base Realignment and Closure Commission established by the U.S. Congress. Reduction on the cost of potential adverse commission by legislators; Restriction on the commission's authority to a narrow jurisdiction; Risk of political retribution.