Virginia's Congressman Weigh In On JFCOM

Here are statements on the proposed closing of JFCOM in Norfolk, from Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake, and Rep. Glenn Nye, D-Norfolk and Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland.

From Forbes:

“For the past two years I have sounded the alarm that this Administration has allowed their uncontrolled fervor for social spending and the resulting budgetary pressure to drive our national defense strategy. We are now seeing the piecemeal auctioning off of the greatest military the world has ever known. Unfortunately, it is a silent auction because the voice of the American people is not being heard.

“Today's announcement to close our nation's premier joint operations and efficiency command is the outcome of fiscal coercion resulting from reckless and dangerous spending decisions, not from well-placed and much-needed efforts to root out waste in government. It exhibits an arrogant lack of leadership and lack of concern for the welfare of our nation and for the men and women in uniform.

“Under the cover of night, this Administration is selling off our military at auction to pay for its social programs. It has withheld our nation’s shipbuilding plan - required of them by law - while the Chinese navy aggressively bypassed us in number of ships. It has withheld our aviation plan, while our Navy struggles from a lack of aircraft needed to perform current and future missions. It has issued gag orders preventing any Pentagon officials, military and civilian, from speaking with Congress about budgets cuts and the risks to our national defense. This Administration has brought blatant partisan politics into the annual defense policy bill by attaching controversial social agendas. They have shown more regard for the rights of terrorists than for justice for those lost on September 11th and the safety of those currently fighting to protect our nation from the next radical terrorist attack. And this week, they and Congressional Democrat leadership have called the House back into session to vote on a package that includes $2.8 billion in defense spending cuts in order to pay for more social bailouts.

“The American people will see this decision for what it is: a first step in a long string of national defense cuts that will systematically and intentionally gut the institutions that protect and defend the freedoms and liberties upon which our nation was founded - and they will not stand for it.”

Joint Forces Command is the leading command for joint training, development and experimentation. Tracing its history back to 1947 with the establishment of the new commands made up from services of more than one military service, it had originally been Atlantic Command. In 1999, it was reorganized to become JFCOM for the purpose of ensuring efficiency among branches of the military. The command oversees a force of more than 1.16 million men and women and coordinates more than 70 joint training events, involving 46,000 participants, each year.

Forbes is Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee.

From Nye:

NORFOLK – Rep. Glenn Nye, D-Norfolk, questioned U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ proposal to eliminate U.S Joint Forces Command (JFCOM), headquartered in Norfolk, VA. JFCOM is one of the Department of Defense’s ten combatant commands, and was created to coordinate joint training, development and experimentation among the different branches of the armed services. Gates’ proposal comes at a time when DoD is trying to substantially trim its budget.

“The proposal by the Defense Department to close JFCOM is short-sighted and without merit,” Nye said following Gates’ announcement. “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.”

“JFCOM exercises combatant command over 1.1 million U.S. forces, and performs critical functions and training necessary to maintain our warfighters’ supremacy in overseas operations,” Nye continued. “Eliminating the Command does not eliminate the demand for these critical missions; it only redistributes the responsibilities elsewhere. I look forward to receiving the Secretary’s official proposal and his analysis for reorganization.”

Finally, from Wittman:

"I have deep concerns about the strategic implications of Secretary Gates’ decision to close Joint Forces Command (JFCOM). Until I am convinced that it is the right decision for our national security, I cannot support the closure of this Command. One of the greatest successes of the U.S. military – unlike any other in the world – is its ability to function jointly, and this decision could hinder the tremendous progress we’ve made. ‪

"I question why a change in structure of this magnitude was not included in the Quadrennial Defense Review. This is just one more example of budgetary pressures, rather than strategic need, driving defense decisions. In this announcement, the Executive Branch has clearly side-stepped the Legislative Branch without deliberation on the way forward with what's best with our nation's defense policy. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee to conduct oversight and execute our funding authority to the fullest extent. Furthermore, I look forward to hearing from Secretary Gates how the current, critical missions of JFCOM, such as joint training efforts, will be carried out under this new plan.‪"

www.dailypress.com