Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

WASHINGTON, May 13 - The Pentagon today recommended the closing of more than 30 big military bases from Maine to Hawaii, setting off immediate and furious reaction among the affected communities and the politicians who represent them.

The bases proposed for closing include some familiar names in military history: the Navy's submarine base in New London, Conn., Fort McPherson in Georgia, Fort Monmouth in New Jersey and the Pascagoula Naval Station in Mississippi. Scores of smaller installations would also be closed, and others would be consolidated.

"Our current arrangements, designed for the cold war, must give way to the new demands of the war against extremism and other evolving 21st century challenges," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said in a statement today.

Michael Wynne, the under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, said at a news briefing that the decision on which bases to close and which to keep open "is a very important component of the military transformation that President Bush asked us to conduct in 2001."

The list of recommended closings was smaller than expected, and some states and communities may gain from base consolidations. But the reaction from those hit by big cutbacks was intense.

Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, called the recommendation to close the New London base, which would cost several thousands jobs, "irrational and irresponsible."

"It insults our history and endangers our future," he told The Associated Press.

In New Jersey, the proposed closing of Fort Monmouth, and the accompanying loss of more than 5,000 jobs, was dread become reality for nearby Eatontown. "It's a major disappointment," Mayor Gerry Tarantolo told The A.P. "But obviously this is just the beginning of the fight. The battle starts today."

Gov. Sonny Perdue of Georgia pledged "a vigorous defense" of the bases in his state, which would be hit by six closings if the Pentagon's recommendation is followed by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, or BRAC. "The battle is not over," the governor said at a news briefing.

Senator Trent Lott, Republican of Mississippi, has fought hard to protect the Pascagoula facility, and is certain to do so again.

The recommendation to close Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota sparked bipartisan reaction from the state's two senators. "Flat wrong," Senator John Thune, a Republican, told The A.P. His Democratic colleague, Tim Johnson, agreed. "We're not throwing in the towel at all," he said.

Texas would be hit with 14 closings, if the Pentagon recommendations were followed. The state's two Republican senators, Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn, could be under pressure to plead for some adjustments. On the other hand, some parts of Texas stand to gain through base consolidations.

Alabama and California would be hit with 11 closings, Pennsylvania with 10. And New York would lose eight bases, including three in the economically pressed Buffalo and Niagara Falls region.

Georgia's Governor Perdue offered a comment that could have come from any one of scores of politicians today: "When it's you, it makes a big difference."

Secretary Rumsfeld said on Thursday that the Pentagon would recommend closing fewer domestic bases than originally expected because the military had less surplus space and capacity than was initially estimated. The military earlier estimated it had 20 percent to 25 percent more capacity than it needed.

But Mr. Rumsfeld said military officials had found only 5 percent to 10 percent excess capacity once they took into consideration the need to accommodate 70,000 troops returning from Europe, as well as Pentagon agencies moving from leased commercial space to less vulnerable offices on military bases. He also cited the need to preserve the ability to step up operations at ammunition plants and maintenance depots in times of crisis.

Although the closings and consolidations are less severe than many expected, the changes will still significantly alter the operations of many of the nation's 425 bases, and the local economies that depend on them, as the reaction today indicated.

Many National Guard and Reserve bases will close and their functions will be consolidated at active-duty installations or other reserve bases. Maintenance depots, research laboratories and hospitals now operated by each of the armed services will be merged. For example, Walter Reed Medical Center, an Army hospital, and the Bethesda Naval Hospital are expected to share some operations.

Military chaplains and cooks will be trained at one place, rather than having each armed service train its own. The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps will share training ranges and war-fighting centers as part of the Pentagon's goal to train and fight jointly, senior military officials said.

Mr. Rumsfeld said the closings and realignments would save about $5.5 billion a year after initial closing costs were paid, and $48.8 billion over 20 years. The previous four rounds of base closings - in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995 - saved $29 billion through 2003, but independent military specialists said the Pentagon estimates were plausible given the extensive realignment it aimed to achieve.

"The savings projected by this round seem to be generated more by reorganization than outright closures," said Loren Thompson, a military analyst with the Lexington Institute, a consulting firm. "At present, the military is very inefficiently located and organized. Many facilities are sited in places that made sense a century ago but not now."

After more than two years of exhaustive study, this round of base closings is an integral part of Mr. Rumsfeld's strategy to revamp the military into a leaner, more agile force.

"The degree with which the services coordinate, integrate and operate together will be increased, and it will include how we manage some of our bases and posts," Gen. Richard B. Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said.

Mr. Rumsfeld sought to ease fears in many communities that closings could leave thousands of local employees out of work. He cited examples of closed bases that had been converted into commercial airports and economic centers. And he pledged that the Defense Department would provide retraining for workers and economic aid to help offset the immediate economic impact in communities where bases close.

The Pentagon's recommendations will go to an independent nine-member commission that will hold public hearings and visit bases through the summer. The panel can add or subtract bases from the list, but it needs seven panel members to approve any changes. The Base Realignment and Closure Commission will present its recommendations to President Bush by Sept. 8.