NEW YORK, NY August 25, 2005 —An independent panel wants to close the Army's largest post in New Jersey, but says that Connecticut's biggest military facility should stay open. WNYC's Fred Mogul reports.

Anthony Principi, the chair of the Base Closure and Realignment Committee, or BRAC, said following the Pentagon recommendation to close the Groton, Connecticut submarine base would be a "tragic loss."

The panel then voted 7-to-1 to reverse the recommendation and keep it open. By the same margin, the BRAC voted to close Fort Monmouth - something it came close to doing in two earlier closure rounds in the 1980s and 90s.

The BRAC did leave a question mark hanging over Fort Monmouth, where more than 5,000 jobs are at stake. Commissioners say the Pentagon must prove that closing the fort won't hamper war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Corzine and others say they're trying to figure out what that means for the fort's short- and long-term prospects.

Typically, bases are expected to close within six years of the BRAC decision - which still needs to be confirmed by the White House and Congress.