Sen. Webb Statement Following Meeting with Sec. Gates on JFCOM

New data reveals other commands experienced comparable or greater growth

Today Senator Jim Webb, Senator Mark Warner, Governor Bob McDonnell and other members of the Virginia delegation met with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael G. Mullen, Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn, and General Raymond T. Odierno, the commander of the U.S. Joint Forces Command, to discuss the secretary's recommendation to close the U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM).

Senator Webb issued the following statement after the meeting:

“I thank Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen, and other senior members of their staffs for meeting with us at some length today.  It was a constructive discussion that led to a commitment by the secretary to work more closely with the delegation during the weeks before he will finalize his proposal to the President.

"I support, as a general principle, Secretary Gates' efforts to achieve efficiencies and cost savings in the Department of Defense.  However, I continue to be concerned by the lack of consultation and cooperation in responding to legitimate requests for information and analytical data as this process unfolded.

“Three months after I first requested such data, DOD finally provided a comparative breakdown of military and civilian staffing levels in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, and the headquarters of the military departments and unified combatant commands. This data is highly relevant to the type of analytical approach that should be taken in order to bring about greater efficiencies in DOD.

"The historical data reveals that, while JFCOM experienced significant growth between 2000 and 2010, several other unified commands experienced comparable or greater growth during that time.  As one example, the U.S. European Command grew by 85 percent despite a reduction of nearly 39,000 military personnel in Europe and the transfer of its geographic responsibilities for Africa to the new U.S. Africa Command. Africa Command itself is now staffed at nearly 1,500 personnel.

“The Department of Defense has yet to answer basic questions with respect to a cost-benefit analysis that shows what savings would be gained by closing JFCOM.  This lack of transparency and consultation stands in stark contrast to how decisions of this magnitude are made traditionally. This will become increasingly important as the military departments respond to Secretary Gates’ stated intention to consolidate other DOD functions across the country.” 

To view a summary of the preliminary data provided by the DOD, please click here.