New study shows coastal economy depends heavily on military

SAVANNAH - The military pours so much money into the economy of coastal Georgia -- about $1.4 billion a year -- that losing it through base closures could sink the regional economy, according to a new study. <br> <br> There is no current indication that Fort Stewart, Hunter Army Airfield or King&#39;s Bay Naval Submarine Base are targeted for closure at all -- let alone in the next round of base closures in 2005. <br> <br> But such closures would have such a profound impact on the region that officials asked economists at Georgia Southern University&#39;s Bureau for Business Research and Economic Development to study the worst-case scenario: the Defense Department vacates the bases, but keeps the property for future needs. <br> <br> Phyllis Isley led the study. <br> <br> She said, ``We&#39;re talking about losing the equivalent of a small city. These losses would be long-lived. No economy in this area would be exempt.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has said the military doesn&#39;t need one-fourth of its bases, and the latest defense budget passed by Congress allows more base closings in 2005. It will be the second time Congress has authorized base closings since the Gulf War. <br> <br> A retired adjutant general of the Georgia National Guard, Bill Bland, said ``Something is going to close somewhere. All the easy decisions have been made. We want to make sure it&#39;s not us.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The Georgia Southern study shows the effects of such base closures on nine coastal counties: Bulloch, Effingham, Bryan, Chatham, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Glynn and Camden. <br> <br> It found the installations employ 32,821 people and indirectly create another 30,458 jobs. Without them, everything from the housing market to a new restaurant&#39;s chances for survival could slump.

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