Fearing the fate of the former Fort Monmouth, local officials and top ranking members of the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst continue stressing the base's importance.

Blimp at the Joint Base
Blimp at the Joint Base (Ilya Hemlin, Townsquare Media NJ)
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During a presentation at Ocean County College on Sept. 24, representatives from each of the military branches within the Joint Base discussed the ongoing missions within their departments.

While there is no official concern the Joint Base will make it to the military's Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) list, both military leadership on the base and local elected officials continue to stress the instillation's importance.

Col. James Hodges, the commander of the Joint Base, said his base is the only tri-service base in the country. During the presentation, he stressed the ability of military personnel to deploy assets at a moment's notice.

"We're in the Northeast hub area in the United States so we can collect a lot of reserve guard and active forces for mobilization for any mission, particularly heading to Europe or the Middle East.

Ocean County Freeholder Joe Vicari said 167 acres of land was recently purchased by the county around the Joint Base to act as a noise buffer.

As the state's largest employer and major economic driver in the area, Vicari said elected officials have an obligation to do everything possible to preserve the base and its new missions.

"We have to work with the military to convince them it's cheaper and more cost effective to keep the base where it is right now than going someplace else," Vicari said.

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