Ft. Monmouth targeted for closure by Pentagon
Operations, personnel would be transferred to other bases
BY SUE M. MORGAN
Staff Writer

TINTON FALLS — More than 5,300 military and civilian employees at Fort Monmouth are facing uncertainty regarding their jobs following Friday morning’s announcement that the Pentagon has targeted the U.S. Army base for possible closure.

The proposed closing of the fort, which last year generated $3.24 billion in payroll and income for New Jersey residents, could adversely impact close to 23,000 military, civilian, and contractor jobs throughout New Jersey.

Another 23,000 military retirees who use its extensive facilities spread over 1,126 acres in Eatontown, Tinton Falls, and Oceanport could also be inconvenienced if the Pentagon’s suggestion, rendered under its Base Closing and Realignment (BRAC) program, moves forward if it is approved by President George W. Bush and Congress later this year.

Fort Monmouth was one of 33 installations nationwide recommended for future closing by the Department of Defense upon release of the long-awaited BRAC list on Friday inside the Pentagon.

Several hours later, at a late afternoon press conference, two Fort Monmouth officers attempted to reassure base employees, both civilian and military, and all the affected parties, that the situation could change by this fall when Congress is expected to vote on the final BRAC listing.

The news that Fort Monmouth could be closing and its technical operations shifted to military installations in other states was not welcome to many employees, nor to the host and neighboring communities, said Maj. Gen. Michael R. Mazzucchi, commanding officer of the U.S. Army Life Cycle Management Command.

Flanked by Col. Ricki L. Sullivan, the fort’s garrison commander, Mazzucchi asked those affected to maintain the news in perspective.

“We remind everyone that these BRAC recommendations are just that — recommendations. They are not final,” Mazzucchi said.

Before the recommendations become binding, the nine-member BRAC committee, appointed by the Bush administration and Congress, will review the existing list and change it before forwarding it to the White House by Sept. 8, Mazzucchi explained.

The president has until Sept. 23 to accept or reject the BRAC list in its entirety, Mazzucchi went on.

If Bush accepts the list, Congress has 45 legislative days to reject the entire BRAC list as a whole before it becomes law, he said.

Even if the BRAC list does become law, it would take another six years for the transition of the fort to be completed, Mazzucchi pointed out.

Even if the Army chooses to act on the final BRAC decisions as soon as they become effective, “for the next few years, our Fort Monmouth personnel expect that they will continue their normal duties,” the commanding general said.

The Pentagon has proposed locating the majority of the civilian and military workforce to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Aberdeen, Md., according to a press release issued by Fort Monmouth’s public affairs office.

Other commands, depending upon function, would be transferred to other locations in Columbus, Ohio; Fort Meade, Md.; Fort Belvoir, Va.; and West Point, N.Y., the fort release states.

No specific numbers are available yet as to how many fort employees would be reassigned to each location, said Sullivan.

Other workers might choose to retire, if eligible to do so, he added.

“Some people will relocate; some people will decline to relocate,” Sullivan said.

The targeting of Fort Monmouth is not a reflection of the quality of personnel there, Mazzucchi stressed.

Instead, the BRAC process is part of what the defense department does on a regular basis to streamline the nation’s defense, he noted.

“As I walk through the base and talk to people, certainly there is anxiety,” Mazzucchi said. “These are some of the greatest patriots in the country. They understand that the mission must continue.”

Military retirees who use the fort’s services might instead be able to use the Veterans Administration hospital and other facilities at Fort Dix, McGuire Air Force Base and Earle Naval Weapons Station, Sullivan suggested.

“Those concerns will be addressed,” he said.

The commissary, Army and Air Force Exchange Services, and garrison activities would be eliminated if the fort closes, the release stated.

The intent of the BRAC program is to maximize the defense department and make it as “efficient and effective” as we can, Mazzucchi said.

Fort Monmouth has been the central base of the Army’s Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intel-ligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance program, known collectively as C41SR.

The Pentagon’s recommendation appears to have come out of a desire to “consolidate C4ISR in a single location,” Mazzucchi acknowledged.

Part of the base closure process is the disposal of land upon which it sits, Sullivan explained.

In following Army policy, the Department of Defense must inventory that land and address any unresolved environmental concerns before turning it over to the host communities, he said.

Because the land on which Fort Monmouth sits is federally owned, the federal government would be consulted first for future uses of the land, Eatontown Mayor Gerald Tarantolo said on Monday.

Should the federal government choose to dispose of its land, the host municipality would then be allowed to use it for public purposes, Tarantolo explained.

If the host community has no interest in the land, the acreage could then be offered to the private sector.

Tarantolo acknowledged that private developers might be interested in the land.

“If I were a developer and I heard the news, I’d be [chomping] at the bit at over 600 acres that I could potentially develop,” he said.

In an effort, to save Fort Monmouth from closing, local congressmen have invited Anthony J. Principi, the head of the BRAC commission, to tour the installation and observe the base’s functions for himself.

BRAC commissioners are required to visit all of the bases targeted for closure prior to compiling the final list for submission to the president.

Besides C4ISR, and numerous research and development functions, Fort Monmouth houses a campus of the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School and an office of the FBI Information Technology Center.