Big news affecting Virginians coming out of Washington today. Defense Secretary Robert Gates today announced that Joint Forces Command in Norfolk Virginia would close, some positions eliminated completely while others would be reassigned. The economic impact of this decision is momentous.
From FoxNews.com:
Virginia lawmakers slammed the decision, condemning the move with a steady stream of written statements while assembling for a press conference in Norfolk Monday afternoon. Aside from concerns over jobs, they argued that the command could actually help the Pentagon save money.
“I can see no rational basis for dismantling JFCOM since its sole mission is to look for efficiencies and greater cost-savings by forcing more cooperation among sometimes competing military services,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said in a written statement. “”In the business world, you sometimes have to spend money in order to save money.”
He vowed to work with the congressional delegation to retain as many jobs connected to the command as possible. Norfolk is one of 10 major U.S. military commands.
Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., also called the move a “step backward” and one that could hurt military capability. “I will carefully examine the justifications for this decision as well as its implications for the greater Norfolk community,” he said.
Rep. Glenn Nye, D-Va., pledged to do the same, ripping the announcement as “short-sighted and without merit.”
“I appreciate the department’s attempt to rein in spending, but I have yet to see any substantive analysis to support the assertion that closing JFCOM will yield large savings,” he said.
Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim agreed with Warner that the command could save money. He told FoxNews.com that the station is “valuable” and the congressional delegation has the “leverage” to negotiate with the Pentagon.
“I think we want to resist this,” Fraim said. He said the simulations and other exercises conducted at Joint Forces Command are critical and must be performed somewhere.
In response Gov. McDonnell issued Executive Order #22 which establishes a “Commission on Military and National Security Facilities.”
For more than one hundred years the Commonwealth of Virginia has served the United States of America and its citizens by providing an unparalleled array of military and non-military national security facilities, including the Pentagon in Arlington, the world’s largest naval base in Norfolk, both the field training facility for the Central Intelligence Agency at Camp Perry and the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, the National Ground Intelligence Center and many other facilities throughout the Commonwealth. Collectively these military and national security facilities have become an integral part of the Commonwealth, including our security, our economic stability and our civic life.
The people of Virginia are acutely aware of the integral role military and national security facilities play in the economic vitality of the Commonwealth. The estimated $56 billion the Department of Defense alone is projected to spend in the Commonwealth in 2010 translates to business for Virginia and high-quality jobs for our citizens. Virginia will be vigilant in protecting the military and national security assets located in the Commonwealth, and will continuously seek new opportunities for growth. To this end, the Commonwealth will be proactive in identifying the appropriate strategies to retain the military and national security facilities located in the Commonwealth and to identify operations and facilities that can be located within Virginia.
To accomplish this, in accordance with the authority vested in me by Article V of the Constitution of Virginia and by Section 2.2-134 of the Code of Virginia, I hereby create Virginia’s Commission on Military and National Security Facilities.
This story is far from over. The impact of this decision will ripple through so many areas in Virginia. The economic impact will be devastating: people will lose their jobs, businesses will go bankrupt, and the political landscape will change – and that is just the tip of the iceberg.
If this decision is final, which it looks like it is, the Commonwealth is in line for some major changes.
The Governor just released a statement:
“I am deeply disappointed by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ proposal to close the United States Joint Forces Command. We are at war abroad in multiple countries and closing the command where components from multiple branches of the military come together to provide intelligence and protection is the wrong decision. We live in a high-tech, interconnected world where collaboration and communication is key—the Joint Forces Command is vital to keep our homeland safe. The multiple joint operations and the modeling and simulations programs conducted by the Joint Forces Command is a long-term key to America’s national security and saves tremendous resources by using technology in lieu of expensive field exercise. Most experts acknowledge that the concepts of inter-operability and jointness are absolutely key to victory in modern warfare.”
“The Joint Forces Command has been in operation since 1947 and continues to serve as a major employer of Virginians. As one of 10 full combatant commands, the Joint Forces Command employs nearly 5000 civilians and service members. This decision will cost good quality, high paying jobs for thousands of Virginians and could not come at a worse time. This decision appears to have been made in private with no recommendation or support in the recent Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) and completed outside of the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) process. It appears as though this administration is cutting investments in national defense in order to pay for massive new social programs. I will continue to work with members of Virginia’s Congressional delegation to do all that we can to keep the Joint Forces Command open in Norfolk and Suffolk.”
