One, two, many JFCOMs ....

Yes.

Gates wants to eliminate the Joint Forces Command, long a presumed target for belt-tightening, and will also announce Monday that he wants to cut the Pentagon’s use of outside contractors by 10 percent next year, The Associated Press has learned. The Virginia-based command trains troops from different services to fight together.
...
Joint Forces Command, with nearly 4,900 employees and annual salaries of more than $200 million, is the largest single cut to be announced Monday.

Gates is not expected to say how much money will be saved by shutting down the command, which holds more than 1 million square feet of real estate in Suffolk, Va., and Norfolk, Va. Savings will be offset by the cost of shifting some jobs and roles elsewhere.

The Pentagon has already announced a target of cutting $100 billion over five years. And earlier this year Gates ordered a top-to-bottom paring of the military bureaucracy in search of at least $10 billion in annual savings needed to prevent an erosion of U.S. combat power.

Thank goodness. JFCOM has always been a non-value-added entity. Every, and I mean, every Navy-friend that I knew who got orders there went there for one of two reasons:
- They needed to hover for a year prior to Command or other tour they were slotted for.
- They needed a Joint ticket punch.

I would ask them what they did - and to a person they shrugged their shoulders and gave a broad answer that ammounted to "I respond to emails and create briefings." Sure, there are parts that are good - but 80% was a self-licking ice cream cone. Redistribute the good 20% and shift fire.

Low hanging fruit ... and about time. Now, here is something more. Almost Salamanderesque.

Gates took aim at what he called wasteful business practices and too many generals and admirals, and noted that “overhead” costs chew up as much as 40 percent of the Pentagon’s budget.

I would be happy to help - just call. It ain't that hard - all you need to do is give good people the top cover they need. You have a lot of good people waiting .... I recommend a small (4-6) group of Bull Captains/Colonels with retirement papers already in.

Hat tip B2.