Dozens of officials seek way to save Joint Forces Command

SUFFOLK

Officeholders from across Hampton Roads gathered Wednesday to begin mapping out a strategy they hope will reverse the impending closure of the Joint Forces Command - a plan that might include a lawsuit against the federal government.

The turnout of dozens of elected officials - local, state and federal - came nine days after Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced he is shutting down the Norfolk-based military command and illustrated the potential economic impact of the decision and the alarm it has generated in the region.

U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake, who presided over the gathering, raised the possibility of going to court to halt the closure, which Gates appears to have put on a fast track. Leaders at JFCOM have been told to implement the shutdown within 12 months.

"We need to slow this process down," Forbes told the group. "We can't take the possibility of litigation off the table."

But Forbes rejected the idea, raised by some at the meeting, that the region should develop a backup plan to salvage some of JFCOM's functions, perhaps saving some of the 6,000 jobs at stake.

"Before we start conceding anything or putting anything else on the table, we can never take the idea that the end justifies the means," Forbes said. "We've got to hold accountable the decision makers in this case."

All four members of Congress representing Hampton Roads - two Republicans and two Democrats - attended the meeting and said the economic threat to the region posed by Gates' decision transcends party lines.

"It's important that we're pulling together in a bipartisan way to fight back on this," said Rep. Glenn Nye, D-Virginia Beach.

Reps. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland County, and Bobby Scott, D-Newport News, said it is unclear whether Gates has the legal authority to close the command without consulting Congress.

A legal challenge to the decision, the congressmen said, would be based on the argument that Gates is circumventing the process prescribed by Congress for closing military bases.

Under that process, an appointed commission recommends which facilities should be closed and, after a series of public hearings, Congress signs off with a vote.

"These decisions are too important to be made in a closet somewhere," Forbes said.

Underlining the angst that the decision has created in the area, Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim raised the possibility of a domino effect that could threaten NATO's Norfolk-based North American headquarters, known as Allied Command Transformation. Part of JFCOM's mission is to promote cooperation among the military forces of NATO 's 28 member nations.

"There is real concern at ACT right now that if JFCOM goes away, ACT may go away," Fraim said, costing the region still more jobs and an annual payroll in the millions.

Gates' announcement has spurred several initiatives to fight the JFCOM closure at the local, regional and state levels, but it was unclear at Wednesday's meeting who, if anyone, is taking the lead.

Terrie Suit, assistant to Gov. Bob McDonnell for commonwealth preparedness, said McDonnell's staff has been trying with no success to get a meeting with Pentagon officials since the closure plan was announced.

"The governor is extremely frustrated," Suit said. "We're not getting any kind of access to the office of the secretary of defense with regards to this issue. We want a dialogue. We want the opportunity to be able to talk about what is going to go forward and have some input on that process."

Wednesday's meeting was held at Old Dominion University's Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center near JFCOM's operations center in northern Suffolk. The ODU center has more than $40 million in JFCOM contracts.

John Sokolowski, executive director of the center, said area leaders should make the case that JFCOM's modeling, simulation and joint training capabilities are critical to national security.

"That's something you'll not find anyplace else in the world," he said. "It absolutely is irreplaceable."

Bill Sizemore, (757) 446-2276, bill.sizemore@pilotonline.com