BRAC commissioners continued to press Pentagon officials about their proposal to remove all active forces from New England and close Otis ANGB, Mass. DOD offered renewed assurances that the area would be adequately protected with forces based elsewhere. Commissioners seemed unconvinced. Retired Adm. Harold Gehman Jr., former head of JFCOM, noted, “To remove essentially all active-duty military activity—not just air—out of the New England area causes me some discomfort.”
Air Force Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich assumed command of U.S. European Command on July 1, taking over the key assignment as the U.S. and its allies contend with a resurgent Russia and a grinding war in Ukraine.
