RICHMOND -- In the latest appeal to spare the Norfolk-based U.S. Joint Forces Command and the thousands of jobs it supports, Gov. Bob McDonnell has written pointed letters to President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates urging them to reject the idea.
The Republican governor expresses his "personal disappointment" in how the decision was made and announced.
He asks that the proposal be treated as any other significant base realignment or closure action -- a process that ensures that such decisions "are made only after a complete review, without political interference."
McDonnell tells Obama that when the president appointed him to the Council of Governors, a bipartisan advisory group of 10 chief executives, he thought it was to establish an open and continuous dialogue with the defense secretary and transparency in the exchange of ideas.
"The decision relating to the closure of the USJFCOM was not taken as a result of open dialogue and transparency in the decision making process," McDonnell writes. He estimates that about 10,000 jobs would be lost if the command closes.
That figure is much higher than previous estimates. The command, with a presence in Norfolk and Suffolk, employs about 6,300 people, including military, civilians and contractors, and spends nearly $704 million a year, according to command statistics.
Further, the governor seeks to meet with Gates and senior members of their staffs, "so that an open and transparent dialogue can be established."
The letters come as Virginia politicians form a united front to fight the recommendation, which Gates made as part of his Pentagon spending-cut plan.
Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., who has been a staunch critic of the proposal, this week pressed for a full hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, of which he is a member.
Last Friday, the mayors of Suffolk, Norfolk and Virginia Beach wrote to Obama and Gates and urged them not to close the command.
Today, members of Virginia's congressional delegation representing Hampton Roads will hold a roundtable discussion on the proposal. The 3 p.m. session at the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center in Suffolk is meant to help the delegation and local leaders plan a collective response to the planned closing.
Reps. Robert J. Wittman, R-1st, Glenn Nye, D-2nd, Robert C. Scott, D-3rd, and J. Randy Forbes, R-4th, will lead a discussion with elected officials and other community and industry leaders.
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