Axe is falling on Defense spending

by YankeeJim | August 9, 2010 at 11:02 am

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I would say that the Joint Forces Command is a redundant activity as its mission is what the Office of Secretary of Defense is supposed to accomplish. You don’t need an extra layer of oversight to accomplish “jointness.”

“Joint Forces Command

Joint Forces Command is the "transformation laboratory" for the U.S. military, in this capacity it searches for promising alternative solutions for future operations through joint concept development and experimentation; defines enhancements to joint warfighting requirements; develops joint warfighting capabilities through joint training and solutions; and delivers joint forces and capabilities to warfighting commanders. For detailed information about U.S. Joint Forces Command please visit: http://www.jfcom.mil.”

The argument that the Navy has made about Norfolk VA operations is that the location permits ready access to the Atlantic whereas there is more congestion in Jacksonville Florida, for instance. Pilots like the direct access away from the coastline with minimum encumbrance.

The people of Norfolk like the military jobs, but those who live in a flight pattern might like them to go away.

No doubt the congressional forces will put up a fight, but Virginia already benefits handsomely from Federal government jobs. It is time to tighten the belt.

“Gates to Cut Major Military Command in Virginia, Officials Say

Published August 09, 2010

Defense Secretary Robert Gates takes part in the National Geospatial-Inteligence Agency's change of director ceremony Aug. 9 at the agency in Springfield, Va. (AP Photo)

Defense Secretary Robert Gates plans to announce his intention to shed one of 10 major military commands as part of his effort to strip billions from the Pentagon budget, Fox News confirms.

The plan to eliminate Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Va., is sure to draw heavy criticism from Virginia lawmakers who opposed the idea weeks before Gates decided to make it official.

Gates also is expected to detail other efforts to reduce waste and duplication at an afternoon press conference, including a plan to cut the Pentagon's use of outside contractors by 10 percent next year.

The Virginia-based command trains troops from different services to fight together. Joint Forces Command, with nearly 4,900 employees and annual salaries of more than $200 million, is the largest single cut to be announced Monday.

Six Virginia lawmakers issued a written statement opposing the cut last month after a board of advisers first proposed the idea. The lawmakers, including Democratic Sens. Jim Webb and Mark Warner, called the proposal a "step backward" and potentially "harmful" to military capability.

"It is illogical ... to recommend that we undo what our nation has worked so hard to achieve in military jointness over the past two decades," they said.

Gates is not expected to say how much money will be saved by shutting down the command, which holds more than 1 million square feet of real estate in Suffolk, Va., and Norfolk, Va.

Savings will be offset by the cost of shifting some jobs and roles elsewhere. The Pentagon has already announced a target of cutting $100 billion over five years. And earlier this year Gates ordered a top-to-bottom paring of the military bureaucracy in search of at least $10 billion in annual savings needed to prevent an erosion of U.S. combat power.

Gates took aim at what he called wasteful business practices and too many generals and admirals, and noted that "overhead" costs chew up as much as 40 percent of the Pentagon's budget.”