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Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced some far-reaching proposals Monday for restructuring the massive budget at his agency, including getting rid of the U.S. Joint Forces Command. The cuts could mean a loss of thousands of jobs.

The current Defense Department budget totals more than $530 billion a year, and defense officials believe they need increases of 2 to 3 percent a year to sustain the force structure and meet modernization needs.

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The culture of endless money that has taken hold must be [addressed],” Gates said. “I am determined to change the way the department has done business for a long time.”

Noting that the Pentagon budget has grown substantially since 9/11 and will continue to grow, the secretary emphasized that his initiative is “not about cutting the budget” but about “sharpening and reshaping priorities.”

Among other steps laid out, Gates plans to:

• Freeze the number of positions in the office of the secretary of Defense, among other offices.

• Freeze the number of senior department positions and appoint a task force to study reducing the number of generals and other senior staff to address what is called “brass creep.”

• Close two defense offices and recommend the elimination of a third.

• Find economies of scale, especially in areas like information technology and services.

“To be clear, the task before us is not to reduce the department’s top-line budget,” Gates said. “Rather, it is to significantly reduce its excess overhead costs and apply the savings to force structure and modernization.”

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the formidable opposition already assembling to head off elimination of the Joint Forces Command is just one example of how “hard” Gates’ task will be. Already, both of Virginia’s US senators – in whose state the JFC resides – have come out in favor of cutting Pentagon waste but vociferously opposed to this particular cost-cutting measure.

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“I am deeply disappointed by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ proposal to close the United States Joint Forces Command. We are at war abroad in multiple countries and closing the command where components from multiple branches of the military come together to provide intelligence and protection is the wrong decision. We live in a high-tech, interconnected world where collaboration and communication is key—the Joint Forces Command is vital to keep our homeland safe.

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