Head of BRAC concerned with Groton base closing

Will this mean that BRAC will take the Groton sub base off the list?

From the Navy Times

Anthony Principi, head of the base closing panel that will decide the fate of the Submarine Base New London, Conn., said Friday that he and other commissioners are “concerned” about the Pentagon’s recommendation that it should be closed.

Principi declined to say how many commissioners are opposed to the plan, but he indicated that base supporters’ arguments have had a receptive audience in the independent Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission.

Principi said the commissioners needed to collect more information about the submarine base before they can decide whether to overrule the Pentagon’s plan.

“There is much more work that needs to be done,” he said.

The base closing commissioners will begin voting on each of the Pentagon’s recommendations on Aug. 24. The votes of at least five out of the nine commissioners are needed to take a base off the closure list. The commissioners must give President Bush a final list by Sept. 8.

“Is there concern about closing New London? Yes there is,” Principi told Gannett News Service. “Several commissioners, including myself, have concerns about closing New London.”