Cohen Says Close Bases Or Give Up New Weapons

Warning Congress against resisting his most politically sensitive proposals for defense cuts, Defense Secretary William S. Cohen on Friday challenged lawmakers to put aside parochial interests and support the closure of more military bases and reductions in the Army National Guard.

He defended the cost-saving moves as necessary to step up purchases of new weapons and equipment after years of declining military procurement.

“I’ll put it to the Congress and say: … Would you rather protect bases or put modern equipment in the hands of soldiers?” Cohen told reporters, ahead of the formal release Monday of a major Pentagon review of military strategy and capabilities. “Would you rather protect your facilities or protect the forces?”

Cohen indicated he was bracing for a fight given the economic benefits that many political districts draw from hosting military bases and reserve units.

“I expect to hit a firestorm when I go up next week” to testify on the plan, Cohen said. “I don’t have any misapprehensions about that. I know what’s coming. But I will present what I believe to be the best choices, and then we’ll have to work together.”

The results of the Pentagon’s Quadrennial Defense Review, which have been widely reported over the past week, reflect months of intensive internal study and represent the first major test of Cohen’s 4-month-old leadership of the Defense Department. Originally intended to provide the framework for defense planning in President Clinton’s second term, Cohen Friday characterized the review more as a starting point.

“This is not a one-year, one-shot proposition,” he said. “This is something that will have to evolve.”