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DEL.ICIO.USMarietta as headquarters for U.S. military’s African Command?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s something completely different: U.S. Reps. Phil Gingrey and Tom Price say that the Pentagon is considering shifting the headquarters for its African Command from Stuttgart, Germany, to the United States, and that Marietta is one of the cities under consideration.
The two Republican congressmen, of course, are pushing Marietta.
This is a portion of a letter they’ve sent Robert Gates, the secretary of defense:
The base in Marietta has a substantial runway network, as well as rail infrastructure that connects it with the Port of Savannah — already a point of shipment for a significant amount of cargo bound for Africa.
Further, given that the facilities in Marietta are presently shared by Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Naval Air Station Atlanta, the Georgia National Guard, and Lockheed Martin, they have long been a model for joint-ness within the Department of Defense, an important and unique characteristic given that AFRICOM will be a joint command and require coordination with many international partners and across numerous government agencies.
With 52 acres of available property adjoining the base, any needed expansion of the facilities would also be possible.
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