Brevard County leaders gear up
to help protect Patrick AFB

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In Brevard County, community leaders united under the Space Coast Defense Alliance, as well as other leaders and politicians, are also rallying together to keep their local military installation off any closure or realignment list.

The 2,341-acre Patrick Air Force Base is home to the 45th Space Wing, and contributes about 12,000 jobs and about $1.2 billion a year to the local economy. Local officlas are hopeful Patrick will be excluded from the 2005 Base Closure and Realignment Commission recommendations.

The Alliance educates the public and lawmakers on the diversity of missions and importance of the bases in Florida.

The base supports the launches from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, one of only two launch sites in the United States. The other U.S. launch site is Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, but Alliance officials have said that base is not as well suited as Canaveral for east-west trajectory launches. Additionally, Cape Canaveral has two new rocket launch platforms for Delta 4 and Atlas 5 rockets.

The state is also doing its part to help Patrick keep its current status. It has provided $13,000 in grants to the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast to defend Patrick and the Cape.

Space Coast Defense Alliance members have already met with Pentagon officials in a question-and-answer session about the base closing procedures. U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Melbourne, arranged the meeting.

The closure process will begin in early 2005 when the Army, Air Force and Navy will make recommendations to DoD as to which facilites they can do without in an effort to save $3.5 billion. The Department of Defense decides on the final list and will send it to the President, who accepts or rejects the entire list as is. Closures and realignments generally begin within two to five years.