BRAC: Base Realignment and Closure
The 2005 Base Closure and Realignment law mandated changes at Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base by 2011. Some have already occurred.
U.S. Army Forces Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command will move to Fort Bragg by 2011. A massive headquarters must be built at Fort Bragg.
The 82nd Airborne Division added a fourth brigade combat team.
The 7th Special Forces Group will move to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., to be with Air Force special operations forces.
The Army will take ownership of Pope Air Force Base. Details, especially involving funding, are still being worked out at the Pentagon. The Air Force presence of 5,000 to 6,000 probably will shrink by about half.
The 440th Airlift Wing relocated to Pope Air Force Base from Milwaukee. The Air Force Reserve owns the airplanes, which are flown by activeduty personnel.
The 23rd Fighter Group relocated to Moody Air Force Base at Valdosta, Ga., in December 2007. Changing the community During the next five years, Fort Bragg growth can add about 40,000 people to southeastern North Carolina. With the addition of a four-star and three-star headquarters, Fort Bragg probably will have more Army generals than anywhere outside the Pentagon.
The Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base BRAC Regional Task Forces has brought together officials from 11 counties to work with the military and prepare for growth.
The Department of Labor has given a $5 million grant to help prepare workers for jobs that might range from construction to information technology. About $2.2 billion in construction is expected on Fort Bragg. Electricians and masons will be in demand.
Real-estate developers are looking forward to an influx of higher-salaried workers. BRAC is supposed to bring in a lot of folks with salaries in the $70,000 to $80,000 range.
Preparing for challenges
The construction industry will be booming, but will there be enough skilled labor available?
The road network must be improved. Planners are concerned about the Spring Lake bottleneck where traffic could back up between Fort Bragg and highgrowth areas in Harnett County.
Law enforcement officials are concerned about how they can improve communications and services to meet the demands of growth. The higher profile increases security concerns around the installation.
School officials are worried about crowding, especially in Cumberland County districts near Fort Bragg. Harnett County is being caught in a squeeze between Research Triangle growth in the north and military growth in the south.
There also are concerns that the Fayetteville area does not have hotels and airport service to accommodate the needs of a high-level headquarters that has been able to call upon the resources of Atlanta.