Democratic Virginia Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner said today they will introduce an amendment to the FY2012 defense authorization bill requiring the Secretary of Defense to provide justification to Congress before any action is taken to close the Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) in Norfolk, VA.

The action came in response to Defense Secretary Robert Gates' announcement last month that he plans to close JFCOM, a command established to facilitate joint effort by the military services. The Pentagon says JFCOM's annual budget of nearly $1billion is no longer justified because the military has sufficiently absorbed such practices into its operatations. The announcement provoked immediate pushback from the state's Congressional delegation.

At a Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing today on DOD's recent efficiency initiatives , committee members complained about DOD’s failure to provide analysis and information on DOD’s decision to close JFCOM and whether this closure would impact the military’s “joint” war fighting capability. Committee members asserted that they reserved the right to make their own decision, separate from DOD's plans.