Regional Demilitarization: Why the Military Left the San Francisco Bay Area

Throughout the twentieth century, the San Francisco Bay Area played a critical role in supporting military activities. Due to its location, it served as one of the key military staging grounds for the Pacific campaign of WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.  The Bay Area’s demographics changed dramatically as soldiers, Vietnam War refugees, and war workers migrated to the region. As part of the Sunbelt, the Bay Area benefited economically from generous military procurement spending. However, throughout the course of the 1980s, 1990s, and the 2000s, the Bay Area went from having a significant military presence to practically none. Of the approximately thirty facilities operating in 1980, all but a few are either closed or slated for closure. This is part of a broader trend as the military continues to transition from a super-sized force capable of defeating a huge Soviet military to a more modestly sized force that is engaged in technologically advanced, coalition-based warfare.  But, it is also a trend of a national demilitarization whereby cities and regions which once benefited from military related spending are now forced to look at life without limited or no military presence.

     This paper explores the political and policy implications of why the Bay Area lost its series of military bases in three ways.  First, urban encroachment inhibited the operation of the military installations.  Second, federal policies unfairly impacted local minority populations.  The third area pertains to the economically successful Bay Area region, which made operating military facilities more expensive than other areas of the country and privileged commercial interests over national security.  The intersection of these factors illustrates the ongoing conflicts necessary to locating, sustaining, and operating military bases in urban areas.