Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Thursday he will cut $78 billion from the Pentagon’s budget in the next five years — money that will come from shrinking the military’s ground force, increasing health care premiums for troops and other politically unpopular cost-saving measures.
Not specifically mentioned was Joint Forces Command, which is located here in Hampton Roads and whose closing has been recommended by Gates. In a press release late Thursday evening, it appears that JFCOM will be closed as the “disestablishment” has been approved by President Obama. The release is below the fold.
UPDATE: Sen. Mark Warner says about half of the jobs will stay in the region.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Yet again, Kenny Golden was right. He knew JFCOM was toast and said so long ago. It is high time people start listening to people with leadership experience.
Much JFCOM work still needs to be done. The point of JFCOM was to keep that work from being overly influenced by any one service. The work will continue; the management will change.
Someone pointed out to me tonight that three Hampton Roads Congressmen – Wittman, Forbes & Rigell – serve on the Armed Services Committee, and that getting this through the committee may be difficult. We’ll see.
It doesn’t take Congressional authorization to realign the Uniform Command Plan, so JFCOM will close. Anything Wittman, Forbes, and Rigell will try and do will only delay the closing and make them look foolish in the process.
You don’t get more hypocritical than demanding budget cuts but railing against any that impact your area. None of them have any military background that is going to garner them respect among Pentagon brass, so their obstructionism will only anger contribute to the current lack of dialogue.
Rigell and the people of the 2nd district will soon realize why people like Turbo and I made such a big deal about electing/nominating a candidate with no real experience in dealing with what makes up nearly half of our local economy.
We needed experienced leadership, we got a neophyte. God bless Scott Rigell, he needs all the support and help he can get.
Thanks for the post.
As a U.S. Air Force veteran, I’ve seen this before.
This isn’t really a “cut” in military spending. And even if it were, over five years it would be miniscule.
It’s a “shift” in military spending from cancelled programs to other military programs.
Drop by our Independent Green Party web site.
http://www.VoteJoinRun.US
Yes, Kenny Golden, the Independent Green Party endorsee for U.S. House in Va Beach is right again.
Nice job on getting the actual document posted to the web page.
Even most of the big Newspapers haven’t covered this one yet.
good work.
http://www.VoteJoinRun.us
Carey – both of your comments ended up in my spam filter. I suspect it is because of your linking your website in two places – both in your name and in the text. No need for both.
And thanks.
Obama just kissed Virginia goodbye.
Maybe – maybe not.
agreed. It all depends on who the “R’s” choose om ’12.
Besides, Brian, thought cuts in spending was a Republican principal
If it’s a true cut in spending, not money shifted to other parts of government.
Actually, this isn’t all it seems.
What people close to the negotiations on this are saying, is that while JFCOM may be gone, half to three-quarters of its Hampton Roads facilities and jobs will be retained, because they represent work that is not done elsewhere and would have to be re-established somewhere else if they did not already exist in Hampton Road. This is particularly true of the modeling work they do, which required a big up front cost in computing power.
It was super-clever of SecDef Gates to wait until Congress was in the middle of their constitution-reading and entirely occupied to hold what many characterized as a surprise announcement.
I kind of wish he didn’t feel the need to ambush Congress, but considering how the legislature keeps trying to prevent him at every turn from getting his own budget under control, I can see his point.
If the President wants to cut military spending, start cutting it overseas not at home. We have way to many military bases around the world and we employee way to many people associated with these, let alone the money trail following these wars. Lets protect Americans employed by the military and look elsewhere before closing facilities like this. Yes, I think people, at lease here in Hampton Roads, will remember this at election time!
silver donkey: Unless I’m missing something fighting wars, not domestic job creation, is the primary reason we have a military. Part of JFCOM performs an important mission and that part will be retained. But JFCOM is not a fighting command. If you’re going to cut military spending, you cut the tail, not the teeth.