Lawmakers ask Bush to save Gulf Coast naval bases

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressmen from Mississippi and Texas asked President George W. Bush on Monday to seek the reversal of proposed closures for two Gulf Coast naval bases, saying the closures would further delay disaster response in the region.
In a letter, Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott, a Republican, and Texas Rep. Solomon Ortiz, a Democrat, asked Bush to demand that the Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) reconsider its recommendation to close the Pascagoula Naval Station in Mississippi and the Ingleside Naval Station at Corpus Christi, Texas.

The two bases were among hundreds that the commission recommended for closure or cutbacks in a report submitted to Bush last week for the first round of domestic base closings in a decade.
...
They argued that the deployment of Navy ships from East Coast bases took several days to reach the area hit by Katrina. Removal of the ships from Pascagoula and Corpus Christi "would only further degrade the security of the Gulf Coast and our national energy production and distribution system."

http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=9631945&src=rss/ElectionCoverage

Hope they make their case and win. Hope this is a priority in WH

The BRAC Commission did not far enough in cutting unneeded infrastructure. This is another pathetic attempt by Mississippi politicians to protect their turf, such as that stupid shipyard that Trent Lott got for his state that the Navy never needed, and still doesn't.

:crazy:
rocknation

Mississippi already has Keesler Airforce Base--do they really need the Navy base?

If they follow the recommendations by BRAC, there will be NO naval assets stationed in the Gulf of Mexico whatsoever.

Although I don't expect the Venezulan Navy to invade (although Bush might), we have at a minimum an economic interest in protecting the Panama Canal and teh shipping lanes throughout the region.

Small term piracy isn't unheard of in southern gulf regions, and if there were no naval assets whatsoever it would invite larger operations or terrorist isses.

Although the USCG does patrol that area, including the offshore region, they are not equipped to lead a command and control operation like a few AEGIS cruisers, etc.

Pensacola, FL will still exist and could provide a base for limited naval operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

no longer does naval operations (just flight). The nearest port is Jacksonville (atlantic side of state). The same thing with Mobile.

At least this is my understanding.