The Pentagon should take into account the “intellectual capabilities” of the region surrounding an installation under consideration for realignment or closure, according to the report of the House Appropriations Committee accompanying the fiscal 2015 military construction-veterans affairs spending bill.

The committee recommends that DOD add a new factor to the final BRAC selection criteria that takes into account a region’s intellectual capabilities, especially when considering academic and technical institutions.

“The committee believes that DOD should not solely focus on cost analysis and military training value when going through the BRAC process, but should heavily consider the importance and cost of intellectual capabilities of a region, especially with military, academic and technical organizations,” the committee states.

The committee report is available on its website. The panel approved its draft FY 2015 milcon spending bill last week.