Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and members of the state’s congressional delegation said Tuesday that the state’s potential job losses from proposed Pentagon cost-cutting measures may not be as bad as originally feared. Defense Secretary Robert Gates proposed in August to shutter the Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) in Norfolk, sparking a bipartisan outcry from Virginia officials, who finally met with Gates Tuesday morning to discuss the proposal that could affect up to 3,900 civilian and military workers.
“What we got today was a keen acknowledgment that there are certain functions that would have to remain, no matter what the final picture looked like,” McDonnell said after the meeting.
“Until the ink is dry, this is still a moving target,” he added.
Types of services that should remain in Hampton Roads include joint modeling and simulation, which replicate operational environments, McDonnell said.
Legislators were still irked over what they see as the Pentagon’s lack of planning prior to announcing the closing of JFCOM, though they appeared more optimistic about the changes after meeting with Gates.
“The fear that we’re going to lose all of the jobs in JFCOM, I think, has been put to rest,” said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va.
Gates made several other concessions to the Virginia delegation, including allowing three current and former state officials — Reps. Jim Moran and Gerry Connolly, both Democrats, and former Republican Rep. Tom Davis — to participate in discussions on Gates’ proposal to reduce military contract spending for three years, a move that could hurt Northern Virginia’s contractor-driven economy.
Virginia officials will also have an “immediate and regular dialogue” with Gen. Ray Odierno, JFCOM commander, on which functions could potentially remain in the Hampton Roads, McDonnell said.
Gates said he would consider relocating other Pentagon functions to Virginia and providing restitution to the state if cuts result in a negative economic impact, McDonnell said.
Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., reiterated concern over what he called a lack of cooperation from the Defense Department on the matter, and cited Pentagon data on Tuesday showing that other Pentagon commands grew as much or more than JFCOM over the past decade.
Webb noted that the U.S. European Command grew by 85 percent despite a reduction of nearly 39,000 military personnel in Europe and the transfer of its geographic responsibilities for Africa to the new U.S. Africa Command.
