07.23.10 | Virginia Congressmen, Senators Dispute Recommendation to Eliminate Joint Forces Command

WASHINGTON, DC – Virginia Congressmen Randy Forbes, Glenn Nye, Rob Wittman, and Bobby Scott and Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner released the following statement after reports that the Defense Business Board (DBB), the Pentagon's independent board of economic and business advisers, is expected to recommend that Defense Secretary Robert Gates eliminate the Joint Forces Command:

"The ability of our Armed Forces to operate jointly is one of the key components that sets our military apart from others across the world. Joint Forces Command was created for the specific purpose of leading our nation in joint training, development and experimentation. There may be merit in tightening the structure of various commands within the individual services that interact with the Joint Forces Command, but it is illogical for an independent Pentagon advisory board to recommend that we undo what our nation has worked so hard to achieve in military jointness over the past two decades. It goes without saying that we should achieve efficiency in our nation's defense budget, however doing it at the expense of the command that is leading the charge for the future of our military training efforts would be a step backward and could be harmful to the capabilities of the finest military in the world."

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