One Utah base that might not make it is Tooele Army Depot, McCall said.

Capitol Hill sources also expressed concern for the depot's future. The depot has already survived a drastic cut in workload. During the 1993 base-closure round, the depot lost nearly 4,500 jobs as the troop-support, maintenance, storage and distribution missions were shuffled to other bases around the country.

"Tooele, I'm just not sure," McCall said. "I wish I could speak with as much optimism about Tooele as I do the other bases, but we don't know."

McCall said Dugway Proving Ground will probably escape BRAC relatively unscathed.

In a news conference Thursday, Rumsfeld said he understood the toll the base-closure process can take on communities.

"The department will take great care to work with these communities, with the respect that they have earned, and the government stands ready with economic assistance," Rumsfeld said.

HAFB pumps $2.8 billion into the state every year. Maintaining the base's status as a major player in Utah's economy is one of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.'s top priorities.

Davis County Commissioner Dannie McConkie said the thousands of employees at HAFB have "earned the right to stay off that list" by working hard every day. McConkie said he is "relatively confident" Hill will not be on the closure list.

When asked if Hill will gain or lose jobs in the realignment process, McConkie said he believes Hill will come out on top.

"My expectation is realignment. At the end of the day when it's all settled, I think Hill Air Force Base is bigger and stronger and will play a more important role in national defense," he said.

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E-mail: ldethman@desnews.com; spang@desnews.com