Abstract:
Since the end of the cold war the US Department of Defense has engaged in downsizing its base facilities around the country. During the 1990s, then President Bill Clinton signed into law a new procedure known as Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). There have been four BRAC rounds to date and the next round is scheduled for 2005. In previous BRAC rounds, Indiana lost three military bases: Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ft. Benjamin Harrison, and the Jefferson Proving Grounds. Indiana faces the possibility of another closure during the 2005 BRAC round, the Naval Surface Warfare Center — Crane Division. Crane is the second largest employer in southern Indiana and pays the highest wages in the region. Understanding the BRAC process, how to fight closure and how to plan for successful redevelopment; the economic impacts to the region and the state; and the potential for redevelopment are critical for supporting the efforts of those trying to save Crane.