Charleston Community and Business Leaders Meet with Sec. of Navy, Pentagon Officials; Promote...

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Charleston's Joint Transportation, Logistics, Engineering and Training Complex

Charleston community and business leaders met with Pentagon officials this week to tout the region's record of proven performance in demonstrating cost-saving military "jointness," a

Charleston's military complex of joint transportation, logistics, high technology engineering and training stands as a working model for modern U.S. military operations, local leaders say. The model is focused on saving taxpayer dollars by combining support and transportation to increase efficiency.

The war in Iraq has clearly demonstrated the capability of the Charleston model in action. More than 30-percent of the Army combat equipment shipped to Iraq by sea has gone through Charleston's military port at the Naval Weapons Station. More than 60-percent of channel air cargo to Iraq and Afghanistan has gone through the Charleston Air Force Base. Charleston's core logistics capabilities include a strategic seaport with a security program heralded by U.S. military leaders, an air base, and a network of rail lines and interstate systems all within a few miles.

Facility co-location is also part of the plan. The Charleston Naval Weapons Station is a model for jointness with facilities for the Army, Navy and Marine operations such as the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command's 841st Transportation Battalion and US Army Combat Equipment Group Afloat (CEG-A) - the Army's only CONUS prepositioning hub and military deployment base. In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard recently opened a regional training facility, in part to take advantage of joint training operations.

"Charleston has a proven track record of embracing transformation and making military jointness work, and that is a big part of our message to Pentagon leaders," said Peter Wertimer, Immediate Past Chairman of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce. Wertimer and a team of 11 local and state leaders met with U.S. Secretary of the Navy Gordon England and Pentagon officials this Thursday, Dec. 9.

"Not only does the military's new system work here in Charleston, but we also have thousands of acres available for expansion," said Wertimer. "We also have proven public-private relationships that support our military."

The group also presented Secretary England with a proposal to build a state of the art, Class "A" office building to house the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southern Division. Ed Fava, Charleston County Council presented the proposal on behalf of the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments.

"NAVFAC is currently located in a leased facility. Our proposal would facilitate replacement of their offices and provide a more secure location on the Naval Weapons Station," explained Fava. "Our community has always supported the military. This is just one additional example of our commitment to the men and women of the Armed Forces," said Fava.

Vice Admiral Albert J. Baciocco, Jr., USN (Ret.), Chairman of the Chamber's Military Relations Policy Council and a member of the S.C. Governor's Military Advisory Committee, also agreed.

"We have Navy systems engineering, research and development center with the lowest cost of operations and the lowest cost and most efficient container seaport in the country," said Baciocco. "The SPAWAR Systems Center Charleston and Navy Nuclear Power Training Command are outstanding success stories resulting from past base realignments. Our message now is that we are ready, and our community is prepared to grow and expand this proven model of efficiency further."

Recommendations for base closings and realignments will be made by the Secretary of Defense in May and forwarded to President Bush. The president is expected to decide which bases to close or realign by next September with an announcement of those changes in fall 2005.