Bedford Minuteman
Thursday, May 12, 2005

MassDTI plans base strategy

By Paul M. Furfari/ CNC Staff Writer

With the fate of Natick's Army Soldier Systems Center and Bedford's
Hanscom Air Force Base coming as early as tomorrow, Massachusetts Defense
Technology Initiative (MassDTI) spent Monday prepping members for the
long-haul effort of keeping the installations open and off the Pentagon's
base-closing radar.

MassDTI, created by the Massachusetts High Technology Council to
preserve the military missions in both Natick and Bedford, held its final
leadership meeting before the Pentagon releases the Base Realignment and
Closure (BRAC) list Monday at the MITRE Center in Bedford.

Up to 25 percent of the nation's bases and military installations could
close under BRAC 2005, which is an attempt to streamline military operations
and cut costs.

MassDTI has promoted the state as a hotbed for research and
development, intellectual expertise and willing workers that would further
the military's long-term goals.

"If there is a decision to keep them open, it's a pretty good
reflection of the military value argument," said MassDTI Executive Director
Alan Macdonald.

In the event that the installations are found on the closing list in
the next few days, Macdonald said: "obviously we will want to express some
disappointment at the failure of the Defense Department for not recognizing
that military value."

MassDTI has vowed to continue the fight to keep them open until the
BRAC list is voted by Congress Sept. 8. The effort would include a broad
public relations campaign to promote the area's strengths and vital
importance to the military's mission.

In the shadow of closure, MassDTI would begin to analyze the data
released by the BRAC Commission and begin to compare it to the Commission's
stated objectives and review it further by examining it for comparable
"competitor installations," said MassDTI President Christopher Anderson.

Anderson said that MassDTI would then begin focusing on negotiations
between the state, affected towns and the Pentagon "in terms of developing
an operating strategy that would take everyone into consideration."

Part of the campaign is a promotional video, "Critical Mass," that the
organization hopes to use to educate the BRAC Commission and other lawmakers
who in-turn could save the installations.

The first public viewing of the video at the meeting drew criticism
from some members of the media for its lack of a specific audience.

The state has put forth an aggressive $429 million expansion plan to
show Washington that they are willing not only to support the installations,
but also invest in them for the long term, but Anderson acknowledged that in
past BRAC rounds, there has never been an instance where a base has
increased its mission scope.

Perhaps the greatest part of the potential campaign to keep the
installations open could come during a nationwide tour by BRAC Commission
members of the bases in question.

"It will probably be the key forum for us to prepare our argument,"
said Anderson.

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