BRAC - The Preheat Mode

The Navy tried to close NAS Lemoore fourteen months after it opened, but
Congress wouldn't let them.

Source for that info? Lemoore is one of the few unencroached air stations
we have ... a real jewel in that regard. Interestingly, it ranked last in
the military value matrix used in 1993. Check out this link and see if you
can tell how many of the listed air stations can operate 24/7 with little
impact on the local population.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/nas.htm

NAS Meridian was built so John Stennis could have medical and dental care
when Congress was out of session.

Incorrect. It was a consolation prize when Stennis didn't get the Air Force
Academy for Mississippi (not much better, eh?). I doubt he would have
bothered with NAS's rather spartan capabilities (I experienced them first
hand in early 1970) when the region's medical/dental hub was only another 12
miles down the highway.

The Navy built a new Bureau of Personnel at New Orleans. Senator Ebert
died
before it was occupied, so it was given to the Reserves, VA, Social
Security, etc.

I thought that was in New Iberia (could be wrong there).

Gore got reelected in 1996, so the BuPers move to Millington, Tennessee
survived.

Part of the BRAC plan to vacate DC. I doubt Gore was a player. NAS Memphis
was closed and the schools command was relocated at Pensacola. The real
winner was Pensacola, which lost a superfluous NADEP, but gained a huge
training complex that's unlikely to be threatened. Several hundred million
for local contractors, not a bad deal.

Then, they built a new battle group port at Ingleside. No battle group to
put there, but they couldn't quietly give away an 1,100 foot pier, etc...

Part of Lehman's "dispersal" plan for the ludicrous 600 ship Navy (nice
thought, but it was economically unfeasible. We're still paying the price
for this folly). Of course, the real reason was putting a base IN YOUR
STATE to gain the necessary political support (He once commented he'd
homeport a battleship in Iowa if he could figure a way to get it there).

No doubt powerful legislators (particularly Senators) tilt the table often,
but not always.

R / John