Hampton Roads to "speak with one voice"

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - Virginia Senator Mark Warner met with local officials on Thursday in Virginia Beach to coordinate local, federal, and state efforts to try and reverse a Pentagon decision to close the Norfolk-based Joint Forces Command (JFCOM).

"We made sure today that from the Governor to my colleague, Senator Webb, to the Congressional Delegation, to all of our local elected officials, including our legislators, that we're going to speak with one voice," Warner told WAVY News 10 in describing the outcome of Thursday's meeting. "And we're going to go back to the Department of Defense and ask for what was the basis for their decision, because we think it was the wrong decision, and then we're going to look at the component parts of JFCOM, about making sure they can be maintained in the region, even if we can't reverse the Secretary's top line decision."

10 On Your Side has learned the "once voice strategy" will be coordinated through the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance.

The Alliance's Director Frank Roberts told 10 On Your Side he's on the way out as Director, and was not at the secret meeting. Obviously this is an interesting time to change leadership with the organization entrusted to help save JFCOM.

Warner said the meeting examined possible 'Plan B' scenarios if JFCOM's closure cannot be slowed or stopped.

"I think what we need to make is, first, that the basic decision of the Secretary was wrong. We're going to try and reverse that. But if we're not successful there, we've got to look at the component parts. For example, we've got world-class modeling and simulation here in Hampton Roads. We're going to need a place, the military's going to need a place, to do training from lessons learning from Iraq and Afghanistan. That could be a capability, particularly in coordination with our NATO allies, ought to be done here. So we're looking at the component parts as well as the whole."

"What we've got to do is, this is hard for the region to hear, but we can't just say 'woe is us, we're going to lose a lot of jobs if this happens.'" said Warner. "We've got to make the business case that it is in the best interest of the warfighter to maintain these facilities here. And that from a business case, Joint Forces Command actually saves the Defense Department money by not having the duplication between the services."

Summarizing the most important conclusions from the meeting, Warner said, "We're going to speak with one voice. We're going to make sure we get these answers from the Defense Department, and that we're going to get our chance to make our case, both legally, and in Congress, and on a lobbying basis."

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced on Aug. 9 his intention to close Joint Forces Command as part of a plan to find $100 billion in savings in the Pentagon's budget over the next five years.

Gates wants to close down JFCOM by Presidential Order, but lawmakers have argued such a decision should go through a BRAC-like process of public hearings and fact-finding.

JFCOM has over 5000 military, civilian, and contract employees in Hampton Roads.

Warner also told WAVY News 10 he doubts an unconfirmed date of Sept. 1 for President Obama to approve Secretary Gates' recommendation to close JFCOM.