Military base closures

I heard Rumsfeld on the radio today defending the decision to close 33 bases. He explained that the closures were intended to help upgrade the military so that its resources could be used more effectively to fight our modern enemy -- a group of trasnational warriors using unconventional warfare. On the same story, someone from an independent commission that will review the recommendations before bringing them to the story said something along the lines of: "We will not rubber stamp the Pentagon's decision. We recognize that there are communities out there that rely on these bases...." I sort of tuned out at that point, because I got to thinking about these communities. It seems to me that the military exists to serve the nation, not those local communities that have benefitted economically from the military's presence over the years. Although I know it will be a hardship to the communities when the bases close, I still think it is a terrible mistake to put their needs ahead of the nation's needs, or even to factor their needs into the decision at all. Instead, the decision should focus entirely on how the military can be structured to best protect our national interests.