Ga. makes pitch for AFRICOM headquarters

[unhappycamper]

Ga. makes pitch for AFRICOM headquarters
By John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Saturday, November 1, 2008

STUTTGART, Germany — With the Pentagon apparently on the lookout for alternative locations for U.S. Africa Command, some stateside lawmakers are pushing hard to get the new military operation set up in their home districts.

A congressional delegation from Georgia was the latest to enter the fray, making its pitch to Defense Secretary Robert Gates in the form of a letter: "As you are well aware, the Department of Defense is considering several locations in the continental United States as headquarters for Africa Command (AFRICOM). Should the determination be made to relocate the headquarters from Stuttgart, Germany, we believe that Marietta, Georgia offers unparalleled advantages," Georgia Republican Reps. Phil Gingrey and Tom Price wrote on Wednesday.

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue and Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, also Republicans, have issued similar letters, too.

Officials in South Carolina, meanwhile, say Charleston is another location being looked at by the Pentagon.

The command officially was stood up at its Stuttgart headquarters on Oct. 1.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=58527