A local political candidate is hoping to attract U.S. AFRICOM to Woodbridge.
Chris Royse, who is running for Woodbridge supervisor, has been tracking the loss of Joint Forces Command in Suffolk. Now that that is a done deal, Royse hopes to bring back the U.S. African Command from Stuttgart, Germany.
AFRICOM, is one of nine Unified Combatant Commands of the U.S. Department of Defense, and is devoted solely to Africa. It was created by former president George W. Bush in 2007 and became operational in 2008.
U.S. Senators Jim Webb and Mark Warner have already made a pitch for bringing AFRICOM to the Hampton Roads area. According to Norfolk TV station, WAVY, the Department of Defense agreed to include Virginia in the assessment of alternate locations for the AFRICOM headquarters.
Warner spokesman Kevin Hall told the Virginian Pilot in April that the Pentagon doesn’t have a preference at this point as to where to locate AFRICOM. Previous reports have listed Charleston, S.C. Air Force Base as a leading contender for AFRICOM.
Royse said he has been speaking with a number of local politicians about bringing AFRICOM to Woodbridge and so far, the reception he’s gotten has been very positive. He also said he’s spoken with former AFRICOM commander William “Kip” Ward about the idea.
With its proximity to Ft. Belvoir and the Quantico Marine Base, its position on the Virginia Railway Express line and its professional development opportunities at Northern Virginia Community College, Woodbridge makes an excellent fit for AFRICOM, said Royse.
“What you always hear from the military is that the fighting force of the future needs to joint, sustainable and needs to be professionally developed,” Royse said. “We have all this right here in Woodbridge. And of course, it would bring jobs to the area which is my number one focus.”
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Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-530-3904.
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