The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission voted to close Fort Monmouth, a military facility close to Gary and I. They voted 7-1 to accept the Pentagon’s recommendation, but said the Army must ensure the communications and electronics technology from the base, used by soldiers in the ongoing war on terror, is not interpreted. This means that the base would not be immediately closed, but either way it will be closed eventually.

Fort Monmouth has been a center for military communications development for decades. It has been home to carrier pigeons and, more recently, to satellite technology. It was known as Camp Little Silver when it was established in 1917 and was renamed in 1925 in honor of those who died in the Revolutionary War Battle of Monmouth, which was fought nearby.

The fort’s closing would not only ring down more than 80 years of military history. It would cost New Jersey more than 5,000 jobs if it is indeed closed, but Maryland stands to gain some 2,000 jobs at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, which would take over much of Monmouth’s functions.

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In its discussion of Fort Monmouth before voting to close it, Mr. Coyle said that the Defense Department has proposed breaking up a well-established facility at the wrong time - a time of war - and sending the pieces to places not known as “world class centers of excellence.”

He noted that Fort Monmouth provides daily support for the military in Iraq and Afghanistan, and played a role in homeland security, saying it supported the police and firefighters after the Sept. 11 attacks with technical support that included cameras to search for victims. Fort Monmouth pumps about $1.4 billion into New Jersey each year, according to the Army.

Officials had lobbied to preserve the bases. New Jersey officials had argued that Fort Monmouth should be kept open because few of those civilian engineers are thought to be prepared to move to Maryland and the Army will suffer a loss of scientific talent when it is most needed.

Fort Monmouth employs some 5,000 civilians, many of them highly paid engineers engaged in research and development projects, including how to improve batteries in military gear and developing ways to interrupt signals used by terrorists to detonate bombs. Those functions are to be shifted to the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. Aris Melissaratos, Maryland’s secretary for economic development, says the engineers can be found there. However, in a time of war, I do not think its wise to be moving our R&D around. Closing this fort clearly has a huge economic impact on my home area, but the Pentagram seems to have frivolously suggested the closing of many bases due to their extra expenditures on the Iraqi war. The closure of Monmouth and the movement of thousands of scientists who help protect troop convoys from roadside bombs and helicopters from heat-seeking missiles could prove disastrous for troops.

While lobbying congressional members is an option, the list produced by BRAC is an all-or-nothing vote designed to prevent lawmakers who want to save their local base.