U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal said today the Connecticut congressional delegation "will fight like the devil" against any attempts to close the Naval Submarine Base.

Blumenthal, speaking to reporters before a scheduled tour of the Three Rivers Community College campus, said any attempt by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to reopen the Base Realignment and Closure process this year would be "dead on arrival" when Congress votes on whether to fund another round of military downsizing.

Blumenthal said the process will cost the government more money than it saves. He added that reopening BRAC in two to three years also wouldn't likely lead to cost savings.

The Groton base, he said "has proven itself," and is a particularly valuable asset because of its proximity to Electric Boat, which manufactures nuclear submarines. Blumenthal said targeting foreign bases would more likely save money and closures there would not require a BRAC process.

"The base realignment process has proven to be of little value," he said.