Courtney applauds Panetta announcement that there will be no BRAC round in 2013

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Joe Courtney today released the following statement after U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced in a speech at the annual conference of the Association of Defense Communities in Monterey, Calif., that there will be no Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round in 2013:

"In January, when the Pentagon first announced its BRAC request to Congress, I did not hesitate to oppose the measure. In fact, I called it ‘dead on arrival.' My justification then was based on the serious questions that still surround the 2005 BRAC, which, to this day has not produced a single penny of savings for taxpayers. Although some expressed skepticism at the time that my position would prevail, Secretary Panetta's pronouncement today recognizes the validity of my criticism.

"I continue to believe that the justification for a new BRAC round does not exist, but in the meantime, we as a delegation will continue to redouble our efforts to strengthen the Groton Sub Base's military value, which is the best guarantee to an enduring future."