Senior military officials are pressuring lawmakers to add billions of dollars to a long-term continuing resolution (CR) to cover necessary base-closure costs and pay for military construction and quality of life projects in fiscal 2007, warning that failure to do so would have dire consequences for the services.

In particular, officials said a CR without added funds would create a $4 billion funding shortfall for a spate of base closures and realignments approved by the White House in 2005.

The military must complete all personnel and equipment moves mandated during that base-closure round by September 2011, a tight deadline even without these budget constraints. Army, Navy and Marine Corps leaders sent two strongly worded letters to House and Senate leaders and key members of the Armed Services and Appropriations committees late last month, after it became apparent that Congress would not pass most of the fiscal 2007 spending bills and instead hold funding for military construction at fiscal 2006 levels for the rest of the current fiscal year under a CR.

Army Chief of Staff Peter Schoomaker and Secretary Francis Harvey warned that efforts to shut down and realign bases are "quickly coming apart at the seams," with the Army limited to spending less than one-quarter of the amount needed to keep base realignment and closure moves on schedule.

Navy Secretary Donald Winter, Chief Naval Officer Michael Mullen and Marine Corps Commandant James Conway warned of similar consequences in a letter delivered to Capitol Hill 22 DEC 06. They wrote that the CR could stymie their efforts to construct facilities and move equipment and people to receiver locations, and impede their ability to harvest savings and organizational efficiencies already accounted for in the budget.

Lawmakers have not yet determined whether to add money or otherwise alter the continuing resolution to pay for base closures, although Democratic leaders have indicated they would consider limited spending increases in certain areas. But several House and Senate members -- including those who would gain personnel and military missions at their local bases -- would support fully funding BRAC at the $5.8 billion level requested by President Bush and authorized in the fiscal 2007 defense authorization bill, which Bush signed into law.

Many communities affected favorably by base closures are already writing their lawmakers to press the issue. But the losers in the 2005 BRAC round, who comprise a formidable force of their own, could just as likely back decreased funding in the hopes of buying their communities time and the economic benefits from prolonged military spending.

The Defense Department does not have to rely solely on Congress for adequate funding of base closures this year.

Defense officials could opt to reprogram money, or add money to base-closure accounts in the fiscal 2007 supplemental spending bill due to Capitol Hill in the next several weeks.