Return to Pointer View home page May 20,  2005

DOD recommends moving Prep School 

By Jim Fox
Senior Staff Writer

Department of Defense officials announced May 13 that a recommendation to move the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School from Fort Monmouth, N.J., to West Point was included in the recently released Base Realignment and Closure 2005 list.

BRAC is the congressally- authorized process used by DOD to reorganize its base structure to meet the needs of the U.S. Armed Forces.

The BRAC commission will now examine this and other recommendations and send their findings to the president by Sept. 8. President Bush will then approve or disapprove the entire list of recommendations. If he approves the list, it goes to congress.

The recommendations would give DOD a net savings of nearly $50 billion over 20 years, officials said.

West Point received notice Monday that DOD was recommending closing Fort Monmouth and moving USMAPS to West Point, said Deb Zedalis, deputy to West Point’s garrison commander.

“If the recommendation is accepted by the president and Congress later this year, USMAPS will bring with it 226 Soldiers, of which 202 are students and 38 civilian staff to West Point,” she said.

The number of personnel in the move will be validated by West Point over the next four weeks, Zedalis explained.

“No activities at West Point were recommended to be closed or transferred to other installations,” she added.

Under BRAC law, the action must be started within two years and completed within six years from the date the president sends the report to Congress, Zedalis said.

West Point must now appoint a lead organization, which will develop 16 action plans. The plans, which are forwarded through the Installation Management Agency’s Northeast Region, are due to the Department of the Army by October, said Jose Roman, West Point’s BRAC installation team leader and the chief of plans, analysis and integration office here.

Speculation over where the Prep School might end up includes Camp Buckner, Camp Natural Bridge and even the Army’s old stomping grounds at the former Stewart Army Subpost in New Windsor.

“Over the next few weeks, the team will analyze possible locations and present a recommendation to the West Point leadership,” Roman said. “At present, there is no firm decision.”

Another concern over the move is the cost, which reportedly may be as much as $23 million.

“West Point, in close coordination with Fort Monmouth, will begin to identify requirements and costs,” Roman said. “As part of this staff effort, initial costs will be estimated and reported to DOD within the next five months.”