Senate narrowly rejects attempt to delay base closing round

An effort to derail the Pentagon's 2005 base closing process was defeated narrowly Tuesday, as the Senate began debate on a series of amendments to the fiscal 2005 defense authorization bill.

The amendment, defeated 49-47, was introduced by Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., and would have required the Defense Department to close bases overseas before proceeding with a round of domestic base realignment and closure next year.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, R-Va., ranking member Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., railed against the proposal.

Levin said the amendment "kills BRAC," and emphasized that Congress created a commission in the fiscal 2004 military construction appropriations bill to review U.S. force structure overseas. "That commission is meeting now, and they will make a report this year," Levin said.

Warner said the Defense Department is expected to submit within three weeks its global posture review, which is to include some indication of when and where forces stationed overseas will return to the United States.

Lott's amendment was supported by a handful of co-sponsors, including Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who last year garnered more than 40 votes for an amendment to cancel the 2005 base-closing round.