Community Resiliency to BRAC Recommendations: A Case Study of Two Mississippi Communities

Abstract

This paper highlights the importance of community resiliency in understanding how communities will fare after the realignment or closure of a local military facility. Two Mississippi communities, Pascagoula and Meridian, in the early stages of the latest Base Realignment and Closing (BRAC) process, were selected as case studies. A community action model was used to examine how communities respond to realignment and closure of military facilities. Key informants were used to gather relevant information to assess community resiliency to BRAC recommendations. The results show that Pascagoula possesses the quality of community resiliency—and therefore the ability to recover from the BRAC recommendation. Meridian does not possess this quality and is therefore less likely to fully recover from the BRAC recommendation. These findings underscore the differential abilities of communities in responding to similar economic shocks. Community resiliency should be considered when recommendations are made on realignment and closure of military facilities.