Base closures show no measurable harm to surrounding community economies

Evidence

A more recent study of the German military’s own base closures in 298 communities in Germany between 2003 and 2007 showed that “negative impacts of base closures” were “non-existent.” Specifically, there was “no significant impact on the economic development of the communities around a base as measured by household income, regional output, the unemployment rate, and revenues from the value-added tax (VAT) and income tax.” While U.S. bases in both Germany and the United States tend to be larger and more integrated into local communities than German bases are, these results are striking. The authors hypothesize that the speed with which local communities converted former bases into other uses such as hospitals and tourist attractions may have helped to offset any negative effects. — David Vine, Base Nation_ How U.S. Military Bases…, 927