Base closure committee lacks Northeast members

WASHINGTON – President Bush on Tuesday nominated eight people with ties to defense – none of them from the Northeast – to serve on the commission charged with closing U.S. military bases.

Maine’s congressional delegation, which had lobbied to have a New Englander included on the panel, said it was disappointed at the lack of geographic diversity.

The president previously nominated former Veterans Affairs Secretary Anthony Principi to lead the nine-member independent commission.

In joint statements, the delegation said the commission cannot ignore the essential roles played by the Brunswick Naval Air Station and the Portsmouth Naval Air Station. The two bases are considered at risk in the latest round of closings, prompting local and state efforts to keep them open.

Congress authorized the fifth round of closures last year. If confirmed by the Senate, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission will review a list of closures the Pentagon must propose by May.

The president nominated:

. James H. Bilbray of Nevada, a former Army reservist and a former congressman who served on international relations, armed services and intelligence committees.

. Philip Coyle of California, a senior adviser to the Center for Defense Information and a former assistant defense secretary.

. Harold W. Gehman Jr. of Virginia, a retired Navy admiral and former NATO supreme allied commander.

. James V. Hansen of Utah, a Navy veteran and former congressman who served on the armed services committee.

. James T. Hill of Florida, a retired Army general and former combatant commander of the U.S. Southern Command.

. Claude M. Kicklighter of Georgia, a retired Army lieutenant general and the assistant secretary for policy and planning at the Veterans Affairs Department.

. Samuel Knox Skinner of Illinois, a former Army reservist and one-time chief of staff and secretary of transportation under President George H.W. Bush.

. Sue Ellen Turner of Texas, a retired Air Force brigadier general who is a member of the American Battle Monuments Commission.