I have seen it mentioned here a couple of times that the BRAC (Base ReAlignment & Consilidation) was developed and implementation begun during the presidency of GHW Bush, while Klinton merely followed along and 'allowed' it to continue.

This is true . . . sort of.

You see, the process needed oversight to be properly implemented and a strong hand given out to attempt to keep bases from being held open for political rather than military reasons.

The whole deal was supposed to be like this:

The Cold War planning had dictated that there must be the ability to perform as many tasks as possible over a wide-spread area, for we did not want to have too many eggs in one basket for a single nuke to have for breakfast.  This is a good idea for the times and is an effective tool for ensuring preparation.  This is also Expen$ive.

Well, once we are no longer staring Nuclear War in the face we can allow our military to step back in the budget and we can make some consolidation.  Right?  Correctly done, this saves money and allows us to maintain a necessary strength.

Well, the Bush administration had but barely begun this process . . . right after the Gulf War we let a number of veteran retire, because they had had their war.  Let them go tell stories and find civilian jobs.  This pool of experience, skill and dedication undoubtedly played a large role in the boom economy of the 90's.

Klinton took office in 1993 and BRAC was still working.  Only he ignored it.  Put people in charge who would be more concerned with looks over effect.  Made certain that the horrible waste of spending money on the military was a thing of the past.  Don't believe that Klinton cared little for the Armed Forces?  That he knew less about it than he cared?  HE LOST THE BLOODY NUCLEAR FOOTBALL . . . AT LEAST THREE TIMES!!!!  (for the uneducated, that is the codes for nuclear release).

BRAC was begun under GHWB, but Klinton allowed it to be a program which ate at teh armor of the Armed Forces, not killing the spirit, but degrading the ability to perform well and denying the orderly re-organization of the services.

We were left with services which did not have definitive leadership from the top, using many bases which were still using WWII era barracks (in some few instances and Ft. Knox does not use them . . . but they are not being torn down, either) as late as 2003.  Klintons' disdain for the military suffused the structure of the bureacracy in Washington, DC, and it ia recognizable in the milquetoast responses by CongressCritters . . . unless they can see the elections on the horizon.

BRAC had the capacity to give a streamlined, well-rounded and budget conscious military.  With Klinton having led it it has left us with  bases which are terrified that they will be cut for political rather than financial reasons and a new generation of veterans who see the government as being amoral and deceitful.  

GWB has made strides in helping the services overcome the problem of the last Reign of Neglect, but it will take at least two more terms beyond this one to get a stable military . . . if we are hit with Hitlery and a Reign of Purges (which is what will happen) then we can look forward to becoming . . . the next Former Superpower.


/rant