Sunday, 05 September 2010
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Kenny responds to proposed closing of Joint Forces Command
The Defense Business Board (DBB), a group of independent advisors to the Pentagon, has recommended closing Norfolk based Joint Forces Command to reduce costs in the Department of Defense.
 
Independent Second District Congressional Candidate Kenny Golden, however, disagrees with the assessment:
 
“Although JFCOM has never been given the authority by the DOD or combatant commands to accomplish its mission, getting rid of it will not eliminate the need for jointness in our armed forces. If we scrap it now, we will have to re-create it in a different form and at a massive cost to taxpayers.”
 
The current 2010 operating budget for JFCOM is $704 million and it employs over 5000 people in Hampton Roads according to the Daily Press. Elimination of the command would be a serious blow to the local economy.
 
Golden served as Deputy and Department Head in both the J5 (Strategy and Plans) and J8 (Strategy and Requirements) directorates and was the command briefer for three years as US Joint Forces Command made the transition from US Atlantic Command in the years from 1998 to 2000.
 
“The problem is not JFCOM,” according to Golden, “but rather the combatant commands and the Joint Staff not wanting to give up money, influence, and the authority that should have been given with the crucially important job of coordinating all joint activities."
 
“The first thing we need to do,” Golden said, “is give JFCOM the capabilities and authority it needs to carry out its mission, then we can worry about eliminating duplication and unnecessary personal. If the goal is to reduce defense spending, we need to start with the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and work our way down.”  
 
According to The Hill Newspaper, the OSD roster has grown by over 700 since 2000. Currently it employs more than 5000 people and has an annual budget of $5.5 billion. While the DBB report suggests a hiring freeze at OSD and the combatant commands, Golden believes it is not enough:
 
“A hiring freeze is a good place to start, but what we really need is a complete independent audit of the entire DOD to see exactly where we stand in terms of contractor support, program duplication, and misplaced areas of responsibility. Right now the Pentagon does not even have a total head count of everyone it employs. This is simply an unacceptable situation.”