The Lexington Institute is a center-right think tank headquartered in Arlington, Virginia , United States . It focuses mainly on defense and security policy.
21-536: The Lexington Institute was founded in 1998 by former U.S. Representative James Courter (R-NJ), former congressional aide Merrick "Mac" Carey, and former Georgetown University professor Loren B. Thompson, who are the chairman, chief executive officer and chief operating officer of the Institute, respectively. The think tank is based in Arlington, Virginia and focuses on defense, regulatory policy and logistics. It
42-584: A Juris Doctor degree from Duke University School of Law in 1966. After law school, Courter became a Peace Corps volunteer in Venezuela . He was admitted to the bar in Washington, D.C., in 1966 and in New Jersey in 1971. Courter served as an assistant corporation counsel for Washington, D.C. , from 1969 to 1970. He worked for Union County Legal Services from 1970 to 1971. In 1972, Courter founded
63-412: A pun on Black Friday ). After an extensive series of public hearings, analysis of DoD-supplied supporting data, and solicitation of comments from the public, the list of recommendations was revised by the 9-member Defense Base Closure and Realignments Commission in two days of public markups and votes on individual recommendations (the proceedings were broadcast by C-SPAN and are available for review on
84-486: A 12-ton recreational vehicle collided with the front of the Courters' Hackettstown, New Jersey home. The Courters were unhurt. The Courters' daughter, Katrina, married Taylor Whitman, son of former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman , in 2006. Base Closure and Realignment Commission Base Realignment and Closure ( BRAC ) was a process by a United States federal government commission to increase
105-655: A law firm in Hackettstown, New Jersey. Courter was a first assistant prosecutor in Warren County, New Jersey from 1973 to 1977. He co-founded Warren County Legal Services in 1975 and served as an attorney for municipalities in Warren and Sussex counties. A Republican, Courter served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 12 years, from 1979 until 1991. He represented New Jersey's 12th congressional district, located in northwestern New Jersey. Courter
126-567: Is an American Republican Party politician and attorney. He represented parts of northwestern New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1991. In 1989, he unsuccessfully ran for Governor of New Jersey . Courter was born October 14, 1941, in Montclair, New Jersey . Courter graduated from Montclair Academy in 1959, received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963 from Colgate University , and earned
147-434: Is sometimes described as conservative. The Lexington Institute is funded in large part by military contractors and other corporations. The institute has gradually moved away from advocating for education reform while retaining its focus on national defense, particularly with regard to technology investment. The Institute has been criticized for its financial relationship with the defense industry; Harper's Magazine called
168-639: The House Armed Services Committee rejected calls by the Pentagon for base closures outside of a 2015 round by a 44 to 18 vote. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta had called for two rounds of base closures while at the same time arguing that the alternative of the sequester would be a "meat-ax" approach to cuts which would "hollow out" military forces. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 specifically prohibits authorization of future BRAC rounds. In May 2014, it
189-455: The Navy considered cutting 34 military installations. The 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission included: The 1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission included: The 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission included: The Pentagon released its proposed list for the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission on May 13, 2005 (a date given the moniker "BRAC Friday,"
210-633: The candidates for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination were "unsuited to high office." The Lexington Institute also researches electricity policy and the US electricity grid, including on issues such as electric grid security , resiliency, the effect of electric vehicles , and distributed generation incentives, and issues relating to data privacy and cyber threat information-sharing. 38°53′43″N 77°04′38″W / 38.8953°N 77.0771°W / 38.8953; -77.0771 Jim Courter James Andrew Courter (born October 14, 1941)
231-789: The 1947 reorganization of the National Military Establishment , reduced the number of U.S. military bases, forts, posts, and stations. The subsequent 1950s buildup for the Cold War (e.g., during the Korean War ) resulted in large numbers of new installations, such as the Permanent System radar stations and Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) control centers . By 1959, plans for even larger numbers of Cold War installations were canceled (e.g., DoD's June 19, 1959, Continental Air Defense Program reduced
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#1732776881154252-539: The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission. The BRAC is an independent nine-member panel appointed by the President. This panel evaluated the list by taking testimony from interested parties and visiting affected bases. The BRAC Commission had the opportunity to add bases to the list and did so in a July 19, 2005, hearing. The Commission met its deadline of September 2005 to provide the evaluated list to
273-512: The President, who approved the list with the condition that it could only be approved or disapproved in its entirety. On November 7, 2005, the approved list was then given to Congress, who had the opportunity to disapprove the entire list within 45 days by enacting a resolution of disapproval. This did not happen, and the BRAC Commission's recommendations became final. The 1988 Base Realignment and Closure Commission included: In 1990,
294-552: The efficiency of the United States Department of Defense by coordinating the realignment and closure of military installations following the end of the Cold War . Over 350 installations have been closed in five BRAC rounds: 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995, and 2005. These five BRAC rounds constitute a combined savings of $ 12 billion annually. The Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 , passed after
315-399: The network's website). The Commission submitted its revised list to the President on September 8, 2005. The President approved the list and notified Congress on September 15. The House of Representatives took up a joint resolution to disapprove the recommendations on October 26, but the resolution failed to pass. The recommendations were thereby enacted. The Secretary of Defense must implement
336-457: The number of Super Combat Center underground nuclear bunkers to 7). In 1958, U.S. Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) began to replace Strategic Air Command bombers. From 1960 to 1964, the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations closed 574 U.S. military bases around the world, particularly after President John F. Kennedy was briefed after his inauguration that the missile gap
357-725: The organization the industry's "pay-to-play ad agency" based on its usually favorable assessments of military weapons programs. Loren Thompson is also a consultant to military contractors. In 2011, Thompson said that the current rate of U.S. defense spending was not sustainable. He has also called for a shift in American defense spending towards items such as the Littoral Combat Ship and the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II that can be exported to allies. Thompson wrote that in 2011 that most of
378-722: The recommendations no later than September 15, 2011. Major facilities slated for closure included: Major facilities slated for realignment include: Twenty-six bases were realigned into 12 joint bases , with each joint base's installation support being led by the Army , the Air Force, or the Navy. An example is Joint Base Lewis–McChord , Washington, combining Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base . The 2005 Commission recommended that Congress authorize another BRAC round in 2015 and every eight years thereafter. On May 10, 2012,
399-590: Was attempted to fund another round of BRAC, although funding was not approved in a vote in May of that year. In March 2015, the Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment addressed the possibility of a future BRAC, indicating that the DOD, Defense Secretary Ash Carter was requesting authority to conduct another BRAC. In September 2015, at the tenth anniversary of
420-545: Was described as the most conservative member of New Jersey's congressional delegation. He was the Republican Party nominee for Governor of New Jersey in 1989, but lost in a landslide to Democrat Jim Florio . Courter did not seek re-election to Congress in 1990. From 1991 to 1993, Courter served as chairman of the Base Closure and Realignment Commission . Courter is married to Carmen Courter. In 1990,
441-522: Was not a concern. The Defense Base Realignment and Closure Act of 1990 provided "the basic framework for the transfer and disposal of military installations closed during the base realignment and closure (BRAC) process". The process was created in 1988 to reduce pork barrel politics with members of Congress that arise when facilities face activity reductions. The most recent process began May 13, 2005, when Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld forwarded his recommendations for realignments and closures to
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