Rumsfeld had previously said the current round of base closings and realignment, the first since 1995, would result in less shrinkage of base capacity than the 20- to 25-percent figure the Pentagon has cited for the past few years. He now says it might be less than half that range.
Nevertheless, Massachusetts officials bracing to save Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford and the Army Soldier Systems Center in Natick said yesterday that the Pentagon chief's comments do not assuage their fears of closure or downsizing.
The facilities are primarily engaged in cutting-edge research and are not traditional military installations that could easily host fighting units returning from abroad, they said.
''It doesn't have much impact on Hanscom, because they are not going to be moving more troops there," said Cort Boulanger, vice president of the Massachusetts High Technology Council, which is spearheading efforts to inoculate Hanscom and Natick, including the passage last year of a $400 million state plan to expand the Bedford complex.
Council president Christopher Anderson added, ''Our strength will be research capabilities and the ability to expand to attract new missions. That continues to be the primary factor in determining the future of Hanscom and Natick."
Local officials also pressed their case yesterday for other New England bases they fear could be on the chopping block when Rumsfeld makes his recommendations to an independent commission as early as next week.
Governor Mitt Romney, who along with Senator Edward M. Kennedy chairs the council's Defense Technology Initiative, toured Barnes Air National Guard in Westfield and Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee. Romney, who toured the bases with US Representatives John W. Olver and Richard E. Neal, said the state has a plan to lobby the federal government heavily if any Massachusetts bases are marked for closure.
