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Panel Decides Fate Of Military Bases
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A major program at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is headed for closer review and may be on the chopping block.
Late Tuesday afternoon, the federal Base Realignment Closure Commission voted to put the Air Force Institute of Technology at WPAFB on its hit list.
It first looked like the institute might be untouched in the process. However, it may now be headed out of the Miami Valley.
The BRAC commission took up the future of AFIT on its own, despite a recommendation from the Pentagon to keep it open. Commission members said they are putting the school on the hit list but are keeping all options open.
Those options could be to privatize it or move it to California.
AFIT is the Air Force graduate school for engineering students and losing it would be a big blow for the Miami Valley.
Despite a last-minute lobbying effort to keep the institute in Dayton, the closure commission vote was overwhelming. This is not the final decision in the process. The final decision comes at the end of August.
The full commission will issue its report late this summer. Then it goes to President George W. Bush and eventually to Congress. However, there is little opportunity to make changes.
Previous Stories: July 19, 2005: Will AFIT Be Targeted By The BRAC Commission? July 18, 2005: AFIT, WPAFB Supporters Monitor BRAC Hearings July 18, 2005: BRAC Hearings Closely Watched By WPAFB Advocates July 1, 2005: Wright-Patt Faces New Threat Under BRAC Plan