Military commission anticipates struggle to retain Arizona bases

PHOENIX - While Arizona's military bases largely escaped drastic cuts in Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's base closure recommendations, the state needs to remain vigilant as the list is finalized, officials said Tuesday. Other states will likely point to Arizona as they argue to keep their own bases open, said Thomas Browning, a member of the governor's Military Affairs Commission, which was meeting for the first time since Rumsfeld's recommendations were released Friday. "Hopefully it's not a battle we're going to have to fight but we need to be prepared," Browning said. The committee voted to form a work group to study the impact proposed closures would have on the state. Having that background information will be important as Arizona argues to keep additional bases off the list and hopefully finds a way to retain the Air Force Research Lab in Mesa, one of the facilities recommended for closure, Browning said.