Several powerful Washington lawmakers have been pushing for years for a new round of base closures, but legislation calling for a review of the bases has been defeated. Four previous rounds of base closures have eliminated about 100 military bases in the country since 1988, including Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo. Nine other senators, including four Democrats and five Republicans have signed on as cosponsors of the bill. The growing effort to close military bases means local officials should work even harder to make the case for Travis, said Len Augustine, chairman of the Travis Regional Armed Forces Committee. The committee watches Travis-related issues and connects civilians and the military.
Political pressure has a lot to do with it as well.
Our interest is trying to gin up support to make a pitch. I'm not just sounding the alarm because I think it ought to stay open for no good reason - there are a lot of good reasons for it to stay here. We've just got to make sure that it's politically understood what those reasons are. Mainly, Augustine said, it's important to convince lawmakers that Travis serves a vital military role. As many California bases have closed in recent years, Travis has become a more important way-station for missions into the Pacific, he said.