State Sen. Carlos Truan said Tuesday that lawmakers should earmark money to help fight the potential closure of Texas bases and to assist military communities. He didn't specify an amount.
Nothing is safe.
Truan made his comments days after U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm said base closures are inevitable unless defense spending is boosted to cover increasing costs for technological advances. If the hearings begin, none of Texas' 17 large military installations and 14 smaller facilities is safe, according to a recent report by the military installations committee. Earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Charles Stenholm told the Reporter-News editorial board that Dyess Air Force Base's standing is secure. He reported that the Abilene base is a front-runner to landing the Airborne Laser, a missile defense system. Stenholm, a Democrat from Abilene, predicted there must be more base realignments and closures, but he noted he felt the same during the Clinton administration's eight years and it never happened.