Debasing the San Francisco Bay Area:
From Strategic Asset to Military Wasteland
By: Dr. Elouise Epstein
Take a trip back to the 1990s with Dr. Elouise Epstein’s latest book Debasing the San Francisco Bay Area. This book explores how the San Francisco Bay Area, once a strategic military region, lost nearly all of its physical military presence between 1988 and 1995. Most of what remained was eliminated in 2005.
Did the Department of Defense and conservative politicians punish the Bay Area for its liberal political inclinations? Or was it related to some combination of urban encroachment, reduced military need, technological advances, changing military procurement processes, increased and local environmental concerns?
Debasing the San Francisco Bay Area examines the intricacies of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) through the lens of the 1990s Bay Area. What emerges is a reconsideration of federal investment into local communities. More importantly, the Bay Area serves as a clear example (if not warning) of regional demilitarization.
Book is expected to release in March 2025.
Coming Soon