Hampton Roads News 
HR Partnership | August 31, 2010
Click HERE for a complete Hampton Roads Resource Page on Joint Forces Command with links to organizations such as the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance, local and state resources such as Congressman Forbes webpage, regional strategies such as Vision Hampton Roads and the Hampton Roads Modeling and Simulation Strategy 2020, events such as MODSIM World 2010, JFCOM news and more…
HR Partnership | August 31, 2010
From Jack L. Ezzell, Jr., Chief Executive Officer of Zel Technologies in Hampton and Chair of the Hampton Roads Partnership in response to the Daily Press article of 26Aug10, “Warner: Save some of JFCOM, if not all of it” and the Virginian-Pilot editorial of 23Aug10, “Hampton Roads needs a Plan B for JFCOM”
On 8-9-10, Secretary of Defense Gates recommended closure of Joint Forces Command (JFCOM), headquartered in Hampton Roads. JFCOM develops and employs modeling and simulation tools, the centerpiece of joint training. Modeling and Simulation (M&S) refers to the process of developing a mathematical model of a real world process, such as the flow of containers through a port facility, and solving the model under different conditions. The information extracted from the model can be used to enhance the effectiveness of the real world process and increase efficiency and profitability.
M&S is not a military-only tool.
Regardless of the outcome of Sec. Gates’ recommendation, the region-wide comprehensive economic development strategy, Vision Hampton Roads, has a structure already in place to coordinate existing and future efforts to grow the M&S community in Hampton Roads.
Hampton Roads is one of the country’s three leading regions in M&S along with Orlando, FL and Huntsville, AL. The unique strength in the Hampton Roads region is in three areas:
The Virginia Modeling Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC) at Old Dominion University is a key contributor to this sector of the economy with the past help of JFCOM.
The following are on-going M&S diversification efforts in the region that deserve to be championed and supported:
A 2007 technology survey identified over 2,000 direct M&S jobs paying an average of $82,733 per year (more than double the region’s average salary) spread throughout the region, with nearly 60% on the Peninsula and 40% on the Southside. Although strongly supported by the military, jobs have expanded to transportation, port operations, education and the medical world.
The survey also noted many M&S research strengths in the region: ODU, Eastern VA Medical School, Hampton University, National Institute of Aeronautics, NASA Langley Research Center, Jefferson Lab, Norfolk State University and Christopher Newport University.
And, according to Virginia’s Economic Development Partnership, Virginia’s M&S industry employs 11,500 people in the private sector while government and military is estimated at another 2,900 people. The top two regions by employment are Northern Virginia (5,900) and Hampton Roads (5,200) and account for 97% of all M&S employment in Virginia.
So what is the region’s next step? Focus M&S efforts with the existing region-wide strategic plan already in place led by the Vision Hampton Roads Innovation Task Force (Dr. Joe Bouchard, Lead) and the Hampton Roads M&S Leadership Council (VMASC’s Dr. John Sokolowski, Chair) which aligns with designated community leaders in specific areas of interest (ex: higher education, healthcare) for implementation of Vision’s strategic actions.
Engage directly with the M&S community and learn more by attending the MODSIM World Conference and Expo, October 13-15, 2010, at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, http://ModSimWorldConference.com.
HR Partnership | August 19, 2010
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| Defense Secretary Robert Gates August 2010; Photo credit: AP. |
Sooner or later it was bound to happen, as even a hyperpower has limits. After nine years, the United States is reassessing its commitment to the longest war it has to date prosecuted. Monday’s announcement by Defense Secretary Robert Gates of budget cuts, a personnel freeze and the dissolution of the U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) represents the beginning of a marked change in how America will protect itself and how it calculates priorities within our nation’s defense.
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by Sebestyén L.V. Gorka posted on the New Atlanticist Policy and Analysis Blog on August 16, 2010 |
Coming as these decisions do a matter of days after the wholesale disclosure of classified information by a renegade website and the launch of a series of investigative reports by a national daily into waste and redundancy within the intelligence community, they will satisfy two different constituencies: those which favor a less activist national security sector and those who, whilst more hawkish of persuasion, support a leaner and more efficient national defense establishment.
However, the merits of Secretary Gates’ proposed austerity measures cannot be gauged in terms of dollars and cents alone. Any such large-scale alteration to how an administration invests in the security of the country must by its nature have doctrinal as well as operational consequences. Especially the decision that has been institutionally the easiest to focus upon: the dismantling of the four-star joint command in Norfolk, Va….
HR Partnership | August 15, 2010
About 50 years ago TV animators created a vision of life almost 50 years from now. They predicted in 2062 people would be flying to work and using robots for housework. How close are we to that fictional world of the Jetsons and what are the possibilities – at least for aviation and related fields?
Futurists, visionaries, entrepreneurs and technologists will explore those questions at “Aviation Unleashed,” a three-day forum sponsored by NASA’s Langley Research Center (NASA LARC) and National Institute of Aerospace (NIA), both in Hampton, Virginia. The conference will be held at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, 1610 Coliseum Drive in Hampton, Oct. 18-20.
“The goal of Aviation Unleashed is to spark conversation and collaboration about what’s possible in aviation, given changes in society and advancements in technology,” said David Hinton, deputy director of Langley’s Aeronautics Research Directorate. “We have invited experts from private industry, government agencies and universities to share their visions of the future so we can work together to transform our aviation system to accommodate new flying vehicles, manned and unmanned.”
Some of the speakers expected to share ideas at the October conference include Peter Norvig, director of research at Google…
HR Partnership | August 13, 2010
The Hampton Roads region saw slight growth in personal income last year but it still was the highest increase among the nation’s largest metropolitan areas, according to estimates by the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The region, which includes Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Newport News, saw total personal income rise 1.2 percent last year to $66.4 billion. On average, personal income dropped 2.3 percent in 52 metro areas of at least 1 million people.
The Washington, D.C., area also was one of the gainers. Its total personal income rose 1.1 percent to $309 billion. Personal income is defined by the government as income received by persons from all sources.
Richmond, the only other large Virginia metro region in the survey, saw total personal income drop 1.6 percent to $51 billion.
In another measurement of wealth, per-capita income, rose slightly last year in Hampton Roads and Washington: $39,674, up 1 percent, in Hampton Roads and $56,442, up 0.7 percent, in the Washington area. Richmond’s per-capita income declined 2.5 percent to $41, 242. Per-capita income is calculated by dividing total personal income in an area by its resident population.
In a wider Bureau of Economic Analysis survey of 366 metro areas, personal income declined in 223, increased in 134 and remained unchanged in nine.
The survey included seven metro areas in addition to Hampton Roads, Washington and Richmond.
Their estimates were:
From Virginia Business
HR Partnership | August 12, 2010
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| Photo Release — Northrop Grumman Continues Construction for the Next-Generation Aircraft Carrier, Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) – July 29, 2010. Gerald R. Ford’s (CVN 78) construction is now 11 percent complete. Named after the 38th president of the United States, Ford, whose keel was laid Nov. 14, 2009, is the first ship of the new Gerald R. Ford class. The Ford class will continue the legacy of highly capable U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier ship platforms. Click on image above for a full-size version. |
Newport News shipyard, nation’s largest, is one of Hampton Roads’ economic driving forces
The yard is Hampton Roads’ largest private employer, with about 20,000 workers, and is the nation’s sole maker of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. It is one of two submarine builders.
On the banks of the James River on the tip of the Peninsula, the yard went into operation in 1886, founded by railroad magnate Collis P. Huntington as a sidelight to his coal operations. The yard started out building Navy and commercial ships and has built ships for World War I, World War II and all wars since.
It now focuses nearly exclusively on Navy vessels. The yard boasts one of the strongest cranes in the Western Hemisphere, a 1,050-ton gantry. More than 23 stories high, it has been a local landmark since 1975.
In a new venture, Northrop is partnering with French firm Areva on a new manufacturing facility…
HR Partnership | August 10, 2010
Gates: Close Joint Forces Command in Norfolk
August 09, 2010|By Hugh Lessig, Daily Press Military Reporter
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday he intends to close Norfolk-based Joint Forces Command over the next year, sending a shudder through the military and business communities in Hampton Roads.
In a press conference, a tough-talking Gates proposed other cuts as part of a broader effort to rein in military spending. It includes a 10 percent reduction next year in the Pentagon’s use of outside contractors and cutting the number of admirals and generals.
“I am determined to change the way this department has done business for a long time,” he said.
JFCOM, located in Norfolk and Suffolk, was established to train troops from different services to work, communicate and fight together.
It is one of the Defense Department’s 10 combatant commands. Its missions include experimentation, training and developing advanced warfighting concepts. Its 2010 operating budget is $704 million.
In addition to its headquarters in Norfolk, it operates the Joint Warfighting Center in northern Suffolk and has outposts in Newport News, Nevada and Florida. In 2007, it provided about 4,500 high-paying jobs and pumped about $365 million into the local economy according to Old Dominion University.
It is unclear just how many of those jobs would be lost or transferred out of the area. Gates said critical functions of JFCOM would be retained and reassigned elsewhere in the Defense Department….
HR Partnership | August 10, 2010
A $64 million, 400-cell military correctional facility is being built at the Norfolk Naval Support Activity, Northwest Annex, in southern Chesapeake. The medium security facility is part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process, and will consolidate other Department of the Navy correctional facilities including those at Marine Corps Base Quantico and Naval Station Norfolk.
The facility will be more than 200,000 square-feet and will house sailors and Marines who are either awaiting trial or have been sentenced to terms of five years or less. It is expected to be completed by May 2011.
The Navy’s Northwest Annex was established in 1955 and covers 3,600 acres straddling the border between Virginia and North Carolina’s Currituck County.
From the Defense Advocate, a publication of the VIRGINIA NATIONAL DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL AUTHORITY | Advocates for the Nation’s Military in Virginia | http://www.VNDIA.org | JUNE 18, 2010
HR Partnership | August 7, 2010
For the first time in at least 16 years, in 2009 Virginia became the number one state for direct Department of Defense expenditures. According to the DoD’s recently released annual Atlas/Data Abstract for the US and Selected Areas, Virginia received almost $57 billion in federal fiscal year 2009, including about $18 billion in payroll and nearly $39 billion in contracts. This edged out both California and last year’s leader Texas.
Over the past decade Virginia, California and Texas have dominated Defense Department investment. In 2009 the three received almost a third of the total $528 billion domestic defense spending. The most recent numbers show that Virginia ranks second behind California for contract spending and second behind Texas for payroll, which includes active duty, DoD civilian, National Guard/Reserve, and retired military pay.
Where the Commonwealth excels is in the number of DoD civilian employees, leading the nation with just under 90,000. A study conducted last year for VNDIA by George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis determined that the economic benefit to the state of these civilian workers is significantly greater than that of uniformed personnel. Virginia is strong there as well, however, ranking fifth in the nation with 63,000 active duty service members.
Virginia’s strongest lead is found in per capita spending by the Defense Department. While the Commonwealth barely edged out California for overall spending, the Golden State is the most populous in the nation making it only 14 in rank for per capita DoD spending. Virginia remains a solid number one here, and the $7,223 per resident spent by the DoD in Virginia more than doubles number two Connecticut.
The cumulative effects of this direct spending and employment add up quickly. Last year’s GMU study showed that in the end, the Defense Department contributes to about 16 percent of Virginia’s gross state product.
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| Virginia’s $56.9 billion in DoD investment comes in just ahead of California’s $56.7 billion. The Commonwealth passes all other states handily in per capita spending – the Defense Department spent $7,233 for each of Virginia’s 7.8 million people in 2009. |
From the Defense Advocate, a publication of the VIRGINIA NATIONAL DEFENSE INDUSTRIAL AUTHORITY | Advocates for the Nation’s Military in Virginia | http://www.VNDIA.org | JULY 23, 2010
HR Partnership | August 6, 2010
What’s the best way to create new jobs? Based on a recent study from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, it’s by stimulating more start-up businesses.
Download and read the complete study.
As the American economy continues to send out mixed signals about recovery, job creation has emerged as the country’s most pressing economic issue. Not only important for employment itself, job growth also drives recovery in other sectors, including housing. But, while hope for spurring the U.S. economy toward recovery focuses squarely on job creation, policy discussions center primarily on measures that would expand job growth in existing companies.
According to the study released by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the current national conversation would be more productively focused on creating a favorable environment for entrepreneurship—and particularly high-growth entrepreneurship—because top-performing companies are the most fertile source of new jobs.
High-Growth Firms and the Future of the American Economy, the third in the Kauffman Foundation Research Series on Firm Formation and Economic Growth, draws on a special tabulation conducted by the Census Bureau at the Kauffman Foundation’s request, calculated from the Business Dynamics Statistics (BDS) database. Author Dane Stangler, a senior analyst with the Kauffman Foundation, found that in any given year, the top-performing 1 percent of firms generate roughly 40 percent of all new jobs.
Further, the study showed, so-called “gazelle” firms (ages three to five) comprise less than 1 percent of all companies, yet generate roughly 10 percent of new jobs in any given year. The “average” firm in the top 1 percent contributes 88 jobs per year, and most end up with between 20 and 249 employees. The average firm in the economy as a whole, on the other hand, adds two or three net new jobs each year….
