Task force

moving.”

Perales said the task force will assess both the economic and national security impact of military installations and NASA Glenn Research Center near Cleveland.

One of the task force’s roles will determine the infrastructure needs of the facilities, he said.

State lawmakers set aside $5 million to pay for infrastructure improvements as a hedge against a future round of federal base closures.

The Ohio Military Facilities Commission recently selected two Air National Guard bases, one in Toledo, the other in Mansfield, for $2.5 million each in state funding for building and taxiway construction projects.

Wright-Patterson, which submitted four projects, didn’t walk away with financial support, and Perales said the process might need to be “tweaked” if Ohio provides another round of funding. He has asked for another $5 million to be added to the state budget.

In the last BRAC round in 2005, Wright-Patterson had a net gain of more than 1,000 new jobs with the relocation of the 711th Human Performance Wing, including the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, to the base from Texas.

“The odds of a new round of base closures being approved over the next two years is higher now that Senator ( John) McCain said he would consider it, but the odds still remain relatively low,” said Todd Harrison, director of defense budget analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. McCain, an Arizona Republican, is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Even so, Harrison added in an email, Wright-Patterson would be “relatively safe because of the unique capabilities (it) provides for the Air Force that would be difficult to replicate at another location.” He added it would not make sense for the state to spend money at a facility that is not likely to be a target.