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"Pennsylvania has lost more than 16,000 jobs as a result of the last four BRAC rounds and we cannot afford
to sacrifice even one more."
--Governor Rendell, 5/28/04
SANTORUM CRITICIZED PENNSYLVANIA BASE – GIVING COVER FOR BASE CLOSURE COMMISSION TO CLOSE IT
Santorum Criticized PA Base; Gave Cover for BRAC Commission to Close Willow Grove Naval Air Station. “While
Tobyhanna could survive, Santorum said he was less bullish on other bases throughout Pennsylvania, particularly the Willow
Grove Naval Air Station in Horsham Township, Montgomery County.” Willow Grove base is plagued by outside development,
something that Santorum described as a red flag in the eyes of military analysts and the BRAC commission. ‘Willow Grove
has an encroachment problem, which puts them in the firing line,’ Santorum said.” [The Morning Call, 4/16/05]
But the Consultant Who Briefed Santorum about the Base Said “No Hard-and-Fast Conclusions” Had
Been Reached. Santorum based his conclusions about Willow Grove on a briefing by a consultant hired by the Rendell administration
to analyze Pennsylvania's bases and their prospects for survival under the current round of BRAC. But contrary to Santorum’s
criticism of Willow Grove and his skepticism of its survival, the consultant who briefed him said, according to The Intelligencer,
“no hard-and-fast conclusions about Willow Grove, or any other base, have been made.” [The Intelligencer, 4/19/05]
- Rendell Deputy Pointed Out that Willow Grove’s Strengths -- Joint Mission Capabilities –Could
Save It. Adrian King, a Rendell deputy, said the consultant the Rendell administration hired, didn't conclude that Willow
Grove will be closed. "If you look at the criteria, does Willow Grove have some checkmarks against it? Sure," said King. But
the base also has strengths that could save it. "What it also has going for it is that it has joint mission capabilities,"
said King. [The Intelligencer, 4/19/05]
- Willow Grove Is the Only Joint Base in PA. The top criterion is the base's "impact on operational readiness
of the total force of the Department of Defense, including the impact on joint war fighting, training and readiness." "Is
there another joint base in Pennsylvania?" Ike Puzon, a consultant hired by the Horsham Willow Grove Chamber of Commerce,
asks. "No." [The Intelligencer, 4/19/05]
SANTORUM VOTED AGAINST DELAYING 2005 BASE CLOSINGS – SPECTER DISAGREED
Santorum Voted Against Limiting 2005 Base Closures to Overseas Bases – Specter Disagreed. In 2004,
Santorum voted against limiting 2005 base closures to overseas bases. The amendment to the 2005 Defense bill Santorum voted
against would have delayed the 2005 base closure round for bases in the United States to 2007. Specter disagreed with Santorum,
voting to limit 2005 closures, but the measure was rejected 47-49. [Senate Vote #98, 5/18/04]
Phil Singer, DSCC, Apr 19, 2005
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