The shutdown of the U.S. Joint Forces Command has left half of its Hampton Roads workforce - nearly 2,000 people - scrambling for new jobs. Here's a look at one of them.

SUFFOLK
America's top-ranking military officer congratulated the U.S. Joint Forces Command on Thursday for successfully working itself out of a job.
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presided over a ceremony marking the dissolution of the Norfolk-based command, whose mission was to promote cooperation among the different military branches.

SUFFOLK They've taken a hit, but the city's high-tech corridor and the local economy that it drives are weathering the closure of the U.S. Joint Forces Command far better than anyone expected one year ago.

NORFOLK
A bit of military history will be made today in Hampton Roads.
Amid typical martial pomp and pageantry, in a ceremony outside a suburban office building in Suffolk, the U.S. Joint Forces Command will be officially dissolved.

SUFFOLK They've taken a hit, but the city's high-tech corridor and the local economy that it drives have weathered the closing of the U.S. Joint Forces Command far better than anyone expected one year ago.

SUFFOLK Right on schedule, a year after the Pentagon announced plans to close the U.S. Joint Forces Command, the command will hold a disestablishment cere mony Thursday.

Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will be the guest speaker, the command announced Monday.

By Robert Burns

WASHINGTON

A general installed just last month as the Army's top officer is President Barack Obama's surprise choice to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, two people familiar with the selection process said Wednesday.

VIRGINIA BEACH The dismantling of Joint Forces Command won't leave its north Suffolk campus half empty, nor will its closure be the demise of the region's modeling and simulation industry, a senior Navy officer at JFCOM said Tuesday.

NORFOLK

As part of the disestablishment of Joint Forces Command, the Defense Department on Monday announced which commands will oversee its critical functions. Based in Norfolk and Suffolk, JFCOM develops ways for branches of the military to work together, trains leaders to command joint missions and assigns about 1.2 million troops worldwide.

SUFFOLK Employees and businesses affected by the military's decision to close Joint Forces Command can get help at a special workforce transition center in Suffolk that's hosting a job fair on Monday.