Lawmakers join forces in a BRAC fightback

DISA\'s BRAC move includes a huge commute, TRICARE coverage extended to those under 60

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  • Two Virginia congressman are in a fight to save the Joint Forces Command. Representatives Gerry Connolly and Frank Wolf joined a statewide military commission led by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell to overturn Defense Secretary Gate’s August decision to shut down JFCOM and cut the Pentagon’s military contracting budget. The commission met in Richmond yesterday. After the meeting, Connolly told the Richmond Times he was stunned by answers from the Defense Department’s staff, saying “The Pentagon pretty much conceded there was no analysis that went into this.” The first commander of Joint Forces Command told WAVY TV in Norfolk that the Command is the objective force that decides, tests and evaluates the interoperability of all the technology that the armed services brings to the table. A hearing on Gates’ recommendation to close JFCOM has yet to be scheduled for the Senate Armed Services Committee but a meeting of a subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has been set for Sept. 29.
  • Most people would consider the trip from Arlington, Virginia to Fort Meade in Maryland, to be a not so pleasant one. Making it a commute is even less appealing, but that’s what some employees of the Defense Information Systems Agency face as the agency gears up for its move from its current offices in Arlington to Fort Meade. Dave Bullock, an executive with DISA’s Base Realignment and Closure Commission project, has been driving back and forth many times a week to see just how bad the commute might be for employees who choose not to relocate. He discusses DISA’s BRAC transition and how its employees are handling the move this morning on the Federal Drive. For more, click here.
  • TRICARE has launched a new service that covers Retired Reserve members who haven’t yet turned 60. TRICARE Retired Reserve or TRR was made available on September 1st for the so-called gray-area Guardsmen and Reservists. Navy Rear Admiral Christine Hunter is the deputy director of the TRICARE Management Activity. She says Retired Reservists may qualify to purchase TRR if they haven’t turned 60 years old or are not already enrolled in or eligible for the Federal Employees Health Benefits program.

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