Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are pushing for a re-evaluation of a current plan to permanently house the U.S. African Command in Stuttgart, Germany, The Virginian-Pilot reported Wednesday.
In a letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, the senators say that the AFRICOM should be relocated to Hampton Roads in the Tidewater area of Virginia, the same location of the now-dismantled U.S. Joint Forces Command.
“The region offers joint installations, command-and-control resources, training and education facilities that could superbly support AFRICOM’s mission.â€
AFRICOM has 1,600 military and civilian staff members accompanied by 3, 900 dependents which the Senators say could seamlessly move into the old headquarters of the joint forces command.
The letter comes after the Government Accountability Office published a report Monday that questioned whether or not the benefits of stationing the AFRICOM in Germany outweigh the cost of operations.
The GAO report added that if the AFRICOM was moved to the U.S., there is a potential for $70 million annual savings and 4,300 jobs.
