Feds will review BRAC job-shifting costs

The Government Accountability Office confirmed Tuesday it will review costs associated with the Base Realignment and Closure decision to shut down the Fort Monmouth, N.J., base and move the jobs to Aberdeen. (Click here to read the GAO's "Observations on DOD's 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Selection Process and Recommendations."

New Jersey lawmakers sought a review of the 2005 BRAC decision after estimated costs soared for closing and moving Fort Monmouth.

“We have told the New Jersey delegation that we will include Fort Monmouth in a broader review,” GAO spokesman Paul Anderson said.

GAO representatives had met last week with New Jersey lawmakers to hear their concerns, Anderson said, and will weigh those concerns to search for “lessons learned” in each round of

closings.

New Jersey’s state and federal delegations have been increasing their opposition to moving base functions to Maryland, and several of the lawmakers introduced bills calling on the GAO to review dollar figures supporting the move.

In a joint statement accompanying the bills, New Jersey Reps. Frank Pallone and Rush Holt, both Democrats, said, “Since 2005, we have maintained that the decision to close Fort Monmouth was based on incomplete and flawed.”

The Asbury Park Press has reported that the estimated cost of closing and moving the Monmouth had gone from the $780 million used as the basis for the BRAC decision to $1.5 billion.

For their part, Maryland officials maintained cost estimates had risen for all the BRAC base moves because of flaws in the government’s model for projecting costs — not deception or misinformation steering the data toward supporting the closure.

“The model was low for Aberdeen, low for Fort Belvoir [in Virginia], low for everybody,” said James Richardson, Harford economic development director.

Anderson said could not say when findings specific to Fort Monmouth could be expected because the scope of the investigation is still unclear.

msantoni@baltimoreexaminer.com