Insider briefing on BRAC

By Staff
June 9, 2002
Little noticed back home, members of the Mississippi Military Communities Council were briefed in Washington last week by high-level federal insiders. Their focus was legislation that has been passed to authorize another round of military base closures in the year 2005. This process is known as BRAC, for Base Realignment and Closure, and local folks are preparing for it.
Lamar McDonald, chairman of the Navy Meridian Team, and other local representatives reported the sessions with a variety of military dignitaries and members of the Mississippi congressional delegation were encouraging. But they also say there is work to be done as our community rallies around NAS Meridian again.
The military communities council, a unit of the Mississippi Development Authority, includes members from all Mississippi cities with military installations. They believe first-hand exposure to defense leaders and federal officials can help with the flow of information as BRAC approaches.
Sooner or later, these volunteers are going to need active involvement from many, many others to make another ironclad case that NAS Meridian is invaluable to the nation's defense.