February 28, 2005

Below is a transcript of Governor Schwarzenegger's weekly radio address. The address is embargoed until Saturday, February 26, 2005 at 8 a.m. PST.

The 2 minute 39 second address is available at http://speeches.gov.ca.gov/dir/02-26%20Radio%20BRAC.mp3. The file is 2.4 MB.

Hi. This is Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger with another California Report. This week, I would like to talk you about the effort to retain our military bases here in California.

The Federal Government has begun the next round of the Base Realignment and Closure program also known as BRAC.

BRAC is a nationwide review of our military infrastructure and it will result in base closures and the transfer of some activities from one base to the other. In the previous 4 rounds of BRAC, California has lost 24 bases and 99,000 jobs - nearly a quarter of the base closures nationwide. Far more than our fair share.

This week I visited Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo where they develop leading-edge technology including the satellite technology that is so important for our national defense.

This is where the famous global positioning system, or GPS, was developed which helps our military forces navigate anywhere in the world.

At the base, I saw many brilliant scientists at work. And when I talked with them, I told them that we are going to fight to keep the base open and to do everything it takes to protect all our military bases in California.

California is at the tip of the spear of our nation's military capability. We do it all.

• We are fighting the Global War On Terror
• We are building the best new weapons systems
• And with our diverse climate and terrain, we are preparing brave men and women to operate just about anywhere on earth.

Our bases are also an important part of our diverse economy responsible for 238,000 jobs and $40 billion in economic activity.

So there is a lot at stake for California in this round of BRAC.

And that's why I created the California Council on Base Support and Retention to help me lead an organized, bipartisan effort to keep our bases.

The council is chaired by two distinguished Californians, Leon Panetta and Donna Tuttle, and includes a fantastic team, all working to protect the interests of our state and our security.

And just last week I traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with our nation's top leaders. I talked to them about California's important military role and the strategic advantages of our bases.

In the coming months, we will be working together and using every resource to convince our leaders in Washington to retain California's military bases.

Thank you for listening.

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