The next round of base closings will start in 2015, according to U.S. Sen. John Kerry.

Addressing the Massachusetts High Technology Council last week, the Massachusetts Democrat said a network the council was launching would likely be important "when the 2015 Base Realignment and Closure process begins."

It was the first time someone has publicly mentioned a date for the next round of proposed base closings. The declaration caught many in Connecticut by surprise, including the state's newest senator, its 2nd District congressman and the head of the state's Office of Military Affairs.

The Naval Submarine Base in Groton narrowly escaped closure when it was targeted in 2005. Congress authorizes each round of base closings.

"We have to be ready for that process," Kerry said, according to a transcript of the speech. "We have to mobilize political leaders and stakeholders not only in Massachusetts but throughout New England, just as we did in 2005."

Former U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd said in December that there would be another base-closing process, but he did not elaborate in terms of a date.

"This is beyond what Senator Dodd said in December," said John Markowicz, chairman of the Subase Coalition that battled the Pentagon's earlier proposal to close the Groton base. "Something in the Senate appears to be gaining momentum regarding the possibility of a future BRAC," he said.

Said Sen. Richard Blumenthal: "No one can predict with certainty whether there will be another BRAC process in the future. But I can assure you that I will fight with every ounce of energy and determination and help forge a united team just as we did in 2005 to ensure that all of our military facilities and resources are kept in Connecticut, including most prominently the Naval Submarine Base," he said in a statement Friday.

Neither Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates nor Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen uttered the word "BRAC" last week in a hearing about the 2012 budget request, said U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District.

"Senator Kerry is obviously someone who has been around a long time, and I respect his knowledge," Courtney said. "But we just had a long hearing, and people were challenging Secretary Gates on some of the cost-saving measures the Pentagon has produced. But closing military installations was not one of the requests."

Even though another round has not been authorized, Courtney said, "We need to be vigilant and prepared to protect the base at all costs."

A spokeswoman for Sen. Joe Lieberman said the authorization could happen as soon as this year for 2015, but it would be "subject to extensive debate" beforehand.

The BRAC panel recommended in 2005 that the next round begin in late 2014, when the closures and moves from 2005 were expected to be completed.

Bob Ross, executive director of the state's Office of Military Affairs, echoed Courtney's sentiments, stating that even though he had not heard from any other source with definitive evidence of a 2015 BRAC, "we should prepare for it."

Gates has called for more than $100 billion in cuts over the next five years, with Defense Department spending expected to drop by 20 percent. Connecticut faces an approximate 10-percent cut in the amount of purchases and pay to entities here, according to Ross's annual report for the Office of Military Affairs.

Ross predicted an "economic catastrophe" should the Groton base close. The base has an annual economic impact of about $4.5 billion and more than 15,000 jobs are linked to the installation, according to the report.

To solidify the base's future, the legislature authorized $40 million for improvements to the facility, and Connecticut became the first state to fully fund a construction project on a base. About $15 million remains in the account for the base or associated projects after the state spent $15 million to help Electric Boat move into Pfizer's former global research-and-development headquarters in New London.

EB bought the property for its growing staff of engineers and designers, a move that will enhance the synergy between the shipbuilder and the base and expand the submarine industrial base in the region, Ross said. EB has to retain 2,300 full-time jobs there until 2020 and hire 700 designers and engineers by March 31, 2013, as a condition of the grant with the state, Ross said.

"There's no question it enhances the synergy between EB and the base to have it here versus somewhere else," said EB spokesman Robert Hamilton.

The synergy argument helped convince the BRAC panel in 2005 that the base should be saved, and the coalition will try again to have it added as one of the criteria for judging bases in any future round, Markowicz said.

State Sen. Andrea Stillman, D-Waterford, said the base is in "far better shape" than it was in 2005, with the improved facilities and working relationship between the state and the Navy.

"It makes me feel better about any future proposals that might be made, but the reality is that there aren't any guarantees in anything," Stillman said. "These are very tenuous times, and a number of programs, military or otherwise, are undergoing great scrutiny."

j.mcdermott@theday.com