Forbes: Budget move may not slow JFCOM's closing

Although U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes succeeded in getting Congress to require the Pentagon to provide more specifics about the impact of closing the U.S. Joint Forces Command, he acknowledged Friday that it's not clear if the move will slow down or interfere with the shutdown.

"We do not know," Forbes said. "The one thing we do know is they can't move forward and spend any funds until they comply."

The command is scheduled to close by August with about half its 3,800 jobs in Suffolk and Norfolk to be lost. Private contractors are being cut and military personnel are being transferred, but all the Hampton Roads-based civilian government employees - about 700 people - will keep their jobs.

The Chesapeake Republican inserted language in a budget bill that blocked spending any more money to shut down JFCOM unless the military gives Congress a closure plan in the next 120 days that includes a breakdown of savings, a cost-benefit analysis, a list of all private contractors and other businesses that might be affected and an explanation of the "strategic and operational consequences" of closing JFCOM.

"We will comply fully with the requirements in the appropriations bill," JFCOM spokeswoman Kathleen Jabs said Friday.

Military officials did not say whether the shutdown's timetable will be affected.

Defense officials, who estimate the closure will save about $400 million a year, have said JFCOM, which has focused on ensuring military branches work together, is no longer needed as an independent command.

Hampton Roads leaders have pushed back, saying the Pentagon hasn't provided data to justify the closing. They note the command's loss will be a major blow to the local economy.

Forbes said even if the new requirements don't prevent JFCOM's demise, they make clear that Congress needs more specific data for any future cutbacks.

"It sends a clear message to the Department of Defense that we're not going to tolerate this kind of thing with other commands," he said.

Despite Forbes' support for the JFCOM requirements, he voted against the budget bill that included them. Forbes said he couldn't support the portion of the bill that ended a legislative stalemate over funding the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year.

The budget bill, which cut $38 billion, didn't go far enough in reducing spending, he said.

Bill Bartel, (757) 446-2398, bill.bartel@pilotonline.com

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