Va. governor: Closing JFCOM makes no sense - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Va. governor: Closing JFCOM makes no sense

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell says the planned closing of the military's Joint Forces Command in Hampton Roads makes no military sense.

McDonnell spoke Thursday at the first meeting of a commission he created to protect Virginia's vast military assets. He urged commission members to develop strategies to persuade the Pentagon to keep the command open in Norfolk and Suffolk.

The Governor's Commission on Military and National Security Facilities is led by two former congressmen, Tom Davis and Owen Pickett. Its creation took on greater urgency after Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced his plan to close the Joint Forces Command.

Members of the state's congressional delegation were briefed Wednesday by the Pentagon. They later complained the military offered no new information.