Reps. Accavitti, Acciavatti, Palmer, LaJoy, Garfield, Bieda, Wojno, Rocca, Miller, Zelenko, Stahl, Anderson, Gaffney, Adamini, Brown, McConico, Angerer, Donigan, Byrnes, Hopgood, Kathleen Law, Vagnozzi, Byrum, Condino, Farrah, Alma Smith, Espinoza, Plakas, Murphy, Gillard, Hood, Kolb, Tobocman, Gleason, Dillon, Sheltrown, Nofs, Brandenburg, Taub and Lipsey offered the following resolution:

            House Resolution No. 56.

A resolution to memorialize the United States Congress to validate the requirement for Selfridge Air National Guard Base during the current round of the Base Realignment and Closure process.

Whereas, Congress has authorized the examination of our military bases in order to determine which facilities are necessary for national defense and which bases are excess.  Known as Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), several rounds of this process have taken place since 1988. The current round is taking place during a time of war, and the importance of maintaining needed bases is heightened. The 2005 BRAC round will also be affected by the planned return of forces from Europe to the continental United States; and

Whereas, With fewer forces overseas and with our military undergoing a transformation for a power projection role, the base infrastructure in the United States must be robust enough to support rapid deployment overseas to crisis areas. Unlike the Cold War era when major concentrations of American forces were kept in Western Europe and South Korea where the major threats lay, today's military must be prepared to deploy anywhere as a joint force for a wide variety of missions on short notice; and

Whereas, Selfridge Air National Guard Base is strategically located as the only military installation in the continental United States on an international waterway. With border control and monitoring a vital task for homeland security, Selfridge is clearly on the frontline of preventing another horrific terrorist attack on our nation. Nearly 5,000 people are either employed by Selfridge or are based there. In an age when "jointness," the ability of all components of the military to fight as a seamless team, has taken on added importance, Selfridge Air National Guard Base leads the way. This base is the home to numerous active and reserve component units from the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marine Corps; and

Whereas, Selfridge is also the home of programs that interact with the community. STARBASE uses an aviation theme to promote science and math lessons to make sure that no matter what a student's economic situation, he or she can achieve a career in these demanding areas. The Civil Air Patrol carries out activities from Selfridge as does the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office, which disposes of excess and surplus Department of Defense personal property. Befitting its location near Canada, Selfridge also hosts the United States Border Patrol; and

Whereas, With our military transforming itself from its Cold War orientation even as it fights the war on terror, Selfridge Air National Guard Base is an essential component for homeland defense, warfighting, and power projection. Indeed, with ample room to absorb new units from any service, Selfridge would be an ideal base for some of the forces that we will redeploy out of Germany and return to the continental United States. The proven track record, current mission, and future versatility to support a transformed military combine to make Selfridge Air National Guard Base a national asset that must be retained; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we memorialize the United States Congress to validate the requirement for Selfridge Air National Guard Base during the current round of the Base Realignment and Closure process; and be it further

Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.