The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
Workers at the U.S. Joint Forces Command can expect a 40 to 50 percent reduction in the command's work force of nearly 6,000 people, JFCOM's commanding officer said Monday at an all-hands briefing.
Army Gen. Raymond Odierno's remarks were summarized by two employees who attended the briefing. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
The expected cutback was set in motion by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who announced in August that the Norfolk-based joint command would be disestablished as part of a Pentagon-wide efficiency initiative.
Odierno offered no specifics on what parts of JFCOM's operations would be retained but said they will probably remain in the Hampton Roads area, the employees said.
Details of the shutdown plan won't be known until sometime next year, Odierno said.
A spokeswoman for the command declined to comment except to confirm that Odierno had met with his staff.
Gov. Bob McDonnell and members of the Virginia congressional delegation have protested the planned closure of the command, which is tasked with training and assigning forces, developing new warfighting concepts and promoting cooperation across the armed services.
After meeting with McDonnell and members of Congress last month, Gates said through a spokesman that even though he remains committed to closing JFCOM, some of its functions are likely to be retained and will probably remain in Hampton Roads.
At that meeting, Gates also agreed to have members of his staff take suggestions from representatives of the region, primarily retired military officers, as they draw up plans for the closure.
Terrie Suit, McDonnell's assistant for commonwealth preparedness, said Monday the group has met twice with Gates' staff and will hold a third meeting today.
She said the Pentagon officials have made no promises.
"They have not said, 'This is what our plan is,' " Suit said. "But I feel that they are listening to our suggestions.
"We started with an expectation of zero. If it's a 40 to 50 percent cut, that's a heck of a lot better than zero."
Odierno also said Monday that Norfolk is in the running, along with several other locations, for the headquarters of the U.S. Africa Command, now based in Germany.
Bill Sizemore, (757) 446-2276, bill.sizemore@pilotonline.com
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It's clear to me that most
It's clear to me that most of the commenters either have no idea what they are talking about, don't have experience with the command or just like to be derisive.
1st: Veterans earn a "retirement" and are not double dipping. They would receive it even if they didn't do government work. Giving up a military pension when working for the government would be like saying you lose your life savings every time you change jobs.
2nd, I have restructured a command's personnel makeup. I was surprised to find that active military actually cost the most to employ, followed by GSs and then contractors. You have to look at total costs, not annual costs.
3rd, JFCOM is needed. We may need to find efficiencies, but no one can say it's not needed.
In debt that what its all about.
Unfortantley, this is what it comes down to. Our nation is on it's highest debt in history and we have to recover some how even though I agree that many well deserve people are losing their jobs it's sad but we must recover and move forward. I work there too briefly and decided to get out early than planned because found myself bored and not doing much. All USFCOM is a good paying job and really not much to do. Sorry but it's true and glad the gov finally notice that.
based on the fact that it was said
the command wasn't needed it sure doesn't appear that this cut is deep enough! Try again to get it where it needs to be and spend the funds where the ROI is greater!!
Secretary Gates only said
Secretary Gates only said the command was not needed in terms of having a Four Star Officer and their command run it. It's public knowledge and in multiple news reports he stated that much of what JFCOM does would need to continue.
I meant to say Four Star
I meant to say Four Star Officer and his staff, not command.
sad but true
As defense cuts increase folks are going to have to relocate to other parts of the country if they want to continue working in defense or other big companies.
I've already done that. Just
I've already done that. Just following the news to see what's happening. I guess the mass exodus begins now. Too bad none of us can sell our houses.
Comment
When the Naval Air Rework Facility closed ca. 1989 no one was outraged. It put roughly 2000+ people out of work with the option of leaving the area to relocate in Florida. Perhaps it was because the work force was government employees and not contractors.
My father worked there and
My father worked there and was put out of work by NARF closure. My mother had a decent job so they stayed in the area. I'd imagine it's just a case of it being different times. People couldn't voice their opinion as widely back then, but now you feel robbed if you can't put your own comments at the bottom of a news article.
JFCOM- close it down. Double
JFCOM- close it down. Double dippers, no real mission and a country club atmosphere. There are better uses for the money that goes in to that pit.