Let Pentagon name the bases to close

You have to continue to wonder at the number of military types who supported George W. Bush for president because they believed he would strengthen America's armed forces.

They may turn out to be right, of course, in the end.

But Democrats during the campaign correctly predicted what would happen under Bush, whose proposed military budget was actually far smaller than that of his opponent, Al Gore.

Bush campaigned on a promise to transform the military with computer warfare and national missile defense.

Yet after achieving his top-priority $1.35 trillion tax cut, Bush has left the military far short of the billions needed to fulfill his campaign promises.

This much was obvious during the campaign. And indeed, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld now says the Pentagon needs another $18 billion for 2003 just to stay even. That means nothing for modernization, and nothing to reverse the declining state of readiness that existed when Bush took office.

Looking for places to save some money, the Pentagon now proposes a new round of base closings. That's not sacrifice on the part of the military; the Pentagon has complained that lawmakers have forced them to keep unneeded facilities open as just another form of pork to take home to their constituents.

The lawmakers have a point, of course; certainly in Hawai'i we keenly recognize our economic dependence on our military neighbors, and our congressional delegation has jealously guarded our share.

Yet it's not hard to look around our state and see underused installations.

We agree with Rep. Neil Abercrombie, who says he'll oppose creation of another independent commission to decide which military bases to close. "It's up to the Pentagon to tell us if a base ought to be closed," he said.

Abercrombie says that with the confidence that Hawai'i won't be on the target list. Let's hope he is correct.

But let's not lose sight of the fact that, with all the wailing and gnashing of teeth that base closings bring, Rumsfeld needs $18 billion to stay even at the Pentagon — and closing the bases the Pentagon recommends will save only $3 billion a year.