SECNAV nominee clears SASC

President Trump’s Navy Secretary nominee Richard V. Spencer, a former Marine aviator, says he is open to another Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission if confirmed as SECNAV. In advance policy questions written prior to his July 11 Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing, Spencer said allowing the Pentagon another round of BRAC “makes sense to me.” It's been reported that the five previous rounds have saved DOD $12 billion annually. “I have been told a new round could save an additional $2 (billion) each year,” he wrote. The last BRAC was in 2005. (Source: The Hill 07/11/17) At the end of the 2-hour session, SASC Chairman, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he looks forward to moving Spencer’s nomination to the full Senate by August. Gulf Coast Note: Gulf Coast military activities and bases have been hit by previous BRAC closures and realignments. Naval Stations Mobile, Ala., and Pascagoula, Miss.; and Naval Aviation Depot Pensacola, Fla., were closed. Naval Aerospace Medicine Research Laboratory was relocated from Pensacola to Ohio. UPDATE: On June 13, the SECNAV nominee was cleared by the SASC to have his nomination voted on by the full Senate.