An estimated 19 percent of U.S. military properties around the world might not be needed, and lawmakers need to take a closer look at shutting down excess facilities in the 2020s to save money, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Congress, according to a report in the Daily Caller.

"Since the last BRAC round we have developed new methods of warfare, new technologies, and expanded needs for Warfighters training that require us to assess the military value and effectiveness of our domestic military infrastructure," Mattis wrote in a letter to Congress dated Oct. 6. "In addition, every unnecessary facility we maintain requires us to cut capabilities elsewhere. I must be able to eliminate excess infrastructure in order to shift resources to readiness and modernization."

BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) is a process by the federal government to close and consolidate military bases.

Mattis' letter comes on the heels of a Pentagon report detailing an excess infrastructure capacity of 29 percent in the Army and 28 percent in the Air Force.

The Pentagon for years has asked for a BRAC round, as the five past previous rounds resulted in $1 billion of annual savings to the Department of Defense.

Democratic Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, expressed the same concerns.

"We are wasting taxpayer money to maintain buildings and facilities that the military does not need, while we drain away funds for readiness and weaponry that could keep our service members safe and our country secure," Smith said.