Mississippi gearing up for potential BRAC round

Mississippi has placed $2 million at the ready for military communities just in case there will be another round of Base Realignment & Closure Commission (BRAC) hearings. The last BRAC go-around in 2005 shut down Pascagoula Naval Station and a Meridian Air National Guard wing. President Obama’s budget calls for a new round of BRAC for 2015. Former Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus, now serving as Navy secretary, says the sea-service doesn’t have much room for base reductions – good news for Meridian Naval Air Station; but that’s not the case for the Air Force – which is non-so-good news for the Golden Triangle’s Columbus AFB. Source, Mississippi Business Journal, May 3, 2013. [Meridian’s efforts to stave off BRAC: MB Journal May 3.]