Joint Forces Command to be cut?

[Stevely]

Does the SECDEF "really" have the authority to do disband JFCOM without Congress's endorsement? To clarify I agree with the decisions for the most part, but wonder how it will play out when Norfolk and the political aparatus associated with start making noise about the negative economic impact on their region? I know the BRAC decisions dragged out for years (and if I'm not mistaken are still being implemented). I don't know how this works, so hoping someone in the community out there does.

It does have to go past Congress, and the Virginia representation have signaled they are going to fight it. However, the President has already publicly stated his support (heard it on NPR this morning). I doubt Virginia will have the clout to stop this, unless they can drag a decision out past November.

[Ken White]

each has not only a ceiling but also a floor on civilian end-strength. IOW, DoD cannot just eliminate positions, they require Congressional consent to go below the floor. What that means is that IF this happens, the civilian spaces must generally be absorbed elsewhere in DoD and preferably in the Hampton Roads area. The Military people will be reassigned so the major loss is really in JFCom's functional areas -- and there are certainly dozens of organizations that would be eager to garner potential spaces by absorbing those functions.

Congress may allow a Reduction in Force but the rules are mind boggling. Given the state of the economy and the jobless rate, I sense another Inside the Beltway budget game as opposed to a genuine desire to just chop one of the newer headquarters. Not that we don't have too many of those...