This dissertation discusses the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, and how local governments interact with the federal government. It examines these interactions through the study of two cases that illustrate local communities’ attempts to redevelop closed military facilities for aviation use. First it relates the case of Bergstrom Air Force Base, in Austin, Texas, in which the local city council successfully converted into Austin Bergstrom International Airport. It also examines Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, in Irvine, California, where the county government’s efforts to build an airport were frustrated. Through an analysis of these two cases, the dissertation provides general comments about the nature of the BRAC process and considers the factors that result in the success or failure of civilian re-use of close military bases. It also proposes future studies that would provide more data about the relationships discovered in the case studies.