May 13, 2005

The preliminary Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) announcement released on May 13th heralded welcome news for Hanscom Air Force Base. After years of planning, lobbying, and community action, we've received very good news: The Pentagon recommended to the BRAC Commission not only that Hanscom remain open, but that its operations be increased to include 1,104 new jobs.

While the old adage _ Success isn _ t final and failure isn _ t fatal _ is certainly true, this is a big success by any standard. It is particularly rewarding that the announcement is the result of an extremely creative proposal and a very close collaboration of community leaders, state officials, and our congressional delegation in Washington.

The final BRAC report will not be released until September, but state and congressional representatives echoed my optimism at a press conference on the State House steps following the announcement on Friday May 13th.

"We marshaled together the facts to show that Hanscom is a leader in technology and innovation in the world, and its function should be advanced," Senator Ted Kennedy said.

Currently, Hanscom employs about 3,000 people. In addition, the base _ s operations generate 30,000 more jobs in the area. With the increase of 1104 jobs on the base - 499 military and 605 civilian positions - the potential for net new jobs reaches into the tens of thousands. The current estimated contribution of Hanscom to the regional economy is $3 billion annually. We would be at risk of losing this sum if the base were closed. Instead, we have the prospect of an additional $1 billion added to the local and state economies.

While this preliminary success is not by any means the end of the road, it certainly puts us in strong standing as we continue to advocate for a favorable final ruling for Hanscom in September.