By Ann Roosevelt
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates yesterday signed a memorandum providing “guidance and direction to execute the disestablishment” of U.S. Joint Forces Command, the commanding general said.
“During the next 30 days I’m required to publish a detailed implementation plan and resubmit that to the secretary of defense and during this time will continue to refine the details of this plan, and we’ll continue to refine it as we begin execution of the plan,” said Army Gen. Ray Odierno, JFCOM commander, during a roundtable.
Odierno held the roundtable after speaking with local mayors, congressional leaders from Virginia and other impacted states.
The president approved the disestablishment of the command Jan. 6, a plan revealed by Gates during a Pentagon briefing on DoD efficiencies.
In coming months, Odierno said he plans to streamline relevant joint functions to DoD entities, mainly the Joint Staff, he said.
“We will ensure we sustain the momentum and gains in jointness while maintaining critical interaction with NATO–specifically Allied Command Transformation–and other multinational partners,” Odierno said.
“The changes are significant. We will retain the critical function and expertise for the joint warfighter in an organization flattened for agility and efficiency,” Odierno said.