What is BRAC?

The process by which the U.S. military and the federal government decide which military bases to close down or streamline.

Congress created BRAC, which stands for Base Realignment and Closure, in 1988 as a way to respond to the political problems caused by closing military bases.

There have been five rounds of BRAC closures: 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 2005.

In early 2003, Gov. Mike Easley asked Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue to oversee the state's response to the upcoming round of closures.

The legislature budgeted a total of $5 million between 2003 and 2006 for BRAC lobbying efforts, but only spent about $1.5 million, much of which went to outside consultants.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole served a similar role on the Senate Armed Forces Committee.