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The team of HYJEK & FIX, INC. and PATTON BOGGS, L.L.P. offers an extensive range of assistance in helping communities enhance their military bases — from both an economic development and an anti-base closure standpoint.
Having experienced four recent rounds of base closure and realignment activities (1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995), communities with nearby military facilities have repeatedly faced the prospect of losing the economic contribution (direct spending and related employment) that these installations provide. A new base closure round in 2005 has now been mandated in Public Law 107-107, the Fiscal Year 2002 Defense Authorization. Under this Act, the Secretary of Defense will issue a list of proposed closures/ realignments on May 16, 2005
Communities need not be passive and simply wait for the bad news of a realignment activity or base closure to be announced. Instead, communities can use economic development strategies and actions — many of which they already use to attract and keep commercial companies and enterprises — to ensure the continued economic viability of a nearby military base. These strategies and actions are critical if a facility is to be reviewed in the best possible light before base closure and realignment decisions are made.
