NJ Spotlight published the following article on 7/21/2014. To read the full article, click here.

Military Advocates Join to Fight Possible Closure of Two NJ Installations

Tara Nurin | July 21, 2014

In a preemptive fight to save New Jersey’s military bases from forced closure by a cash-strapped federal Department of Defense (DOD), a bipartisan effort by New Jersey’s federal and state officials has joined with the private sector to try and head off any move to shut down the state’s second-largest employer.

In late June, both legislative chambers in Trenton passed resolutions to urge Congress to work on behalf of New Jersey’s bases. A few days later, Gov. Chris Christie approved $200,000 in the state budget for activities to be undertaken by a task force, headed by Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. Its members, who come from the military, government, and private sectors, have already visited three of New Jersey’s five operational bases and will likely visit the state’s two remaining (Coast Guard) facilities over the coming months.

The task force forms part of a multipronged approach that has New Jersey’s elected officials joining with other stakeholders in the state’s first coordinated alliance to fight the DOD on several fronts. The goal is to keep Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB MDL), the Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County — and later, other bases — off the federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) list.

The group comprises leaders like the adjutant general for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMAVA), CEO of the Economic Development Authority, president and CEO of Choose New Jersey, and former Congressman Jim Saxton (R-NJ). Saxton twice helped prevent JB MDL’s closure while he held office and later cofounded the nonprofit New Jersey Defense Enhancement Coalition that’s dedicated to keeping JB MDL open.

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