By Alabama Public Radio
Montgomery, AL – Governor Bob Riley is expected to leave Wednesday on a trip to Washington. He's planning to participate in several inaugural festivities. But, he also will meet with Pentagon officials to talk about the upcoming round of military base closures. Riley says he wants to make sure Defense Department planners understand the importance of Alabama's four military installations. The governor and Jim Walker, director of Alabama's Homeland Security department, are scheduled to meet with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and two of his deputies Wednesday. Alabama's four active-duty bases are the Anniston Army Depot, Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Fort Rucker in Ozark and Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery.