Eatontown, N.J. --- U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine, and U.S. Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Rush Holt (D-NJ) today hosted a press conference on statewide efforts to strengthen and preserve Fort Monmouth. Prior to the press conference, Senator Corzine met with the members of the "Save Our Fort Committee," a coalition of groups and individuals committed to promoting Fort Monmouth.

During the press conference, the lawmakers discussed the critical role Fort Monmouth plays in developing groundbreaking military technology, as well as its important role in the local economy.

"The technology developed at Fort Monmouth is part of the Army of the future," Pallone said. "Not only is the fort responsible for long-term projects and their day-to-day operation on the ground, but the fort's workforce is also able to rapidly provide answers and techniques to thwart any challenges.

"Fort Monmouth is also the largest employer in Monmouth County," Pallone added. "For every one military personnel that works at the Fort, there are another five contract employees. All of these people have families that pay into local services and frequent local businesses."

The lawmakers also outlined their efforts to promote the mission of the Fort through meetings and discussions with key Army and Pentagon officials, including the Assistant Secretary of the Army Geoff Prosch and Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Phil Grone. Secretaries Grone and Prosch are responsible for BRAC related decisions in the Army and at the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) respectively. In mid-December, Pallone, Holt and the members of the Save Our Fort Committee also met with General Benjamin Griffin, the new four-star general responsible for the Army Materiel Command, which oversees the work at the fort.

"Our message to the Army and the Pentagon continues to be that the Fort is doing critical work at a critical time," Pallone said. "Every day, teams at Fort Monmouth work with soldiers on the ground fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan to improve the communications and electronics equipment that they rely on to complete their missions. During times of war when our service members face danger every day, we cannot afford any disruption in these activities."

Pallone, Holt and Corzine also discussed the important role the Fort will play in the state's efforts to create a research and economic development "corridor" in Central New Jersey. The effort, called the Einstein Corridor, stretches across five Central New Jersey counties and brings together all the university and private research facilities in our area, including those at Fort Monmouth.

Over the last several years, the members have worked together to secure federal funds for the Fort's infrastructure and programs. This year, the members secured an additional $1 million for the modernization of Telecommunications infrastructure at the Fort. This brings the total appropriations for this project to $6 million over three years. The funds enable the Fort to continue its first class work in an environment competitive with the private sector.

-30-