GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP TO RETAIN HIGH-TECH JOBS AT FORT MONMOUTH

TRENTON – Governor Jon S. Corzine today announced a working partnership with the U.S. Army to offer New Jersey-based employment for certain highly-skilled workers who will be affected by the closure of Fort Monmouth in 2011.

“We believe that, working together, we can find a win-win solution for the Army and the community around Fort Monmouth, including New Jersey workers and employers,” Governor Corzine said. “We appreciate the Army’s willingness to work with us in planning this initiative.”

In response to a letter from Governor Corzine, the Secretary of the Army has convened a working group to explore the feasibility of a Mission Transition Assurance Contract (MTAC), which would establish a public/private partnership among the U.S. Army, current Fort Monmouth civilian employees, the State of New Jersey, New Jersey colleges and universities, and private sector employers.

Through the MTAC, some of the current Fort Monmouth workforce would be designated to form a small group of highly-skilled New Jersey-based federal employees who could continue to deliver support to the Army's mission of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR), after the Army transfers C4ISR personnel, equipment and skills to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.

Representatives of the Secretary of the Army and the Army Materiel Command met in Trenton earlier this month with state labor commissioner David J. Socolow and a team of State agency representatives to begin discussing the MTAC concept.

“The Governor and I are committed to helping the affected workforce transition to the next phase of their careers and helping local defense contractors continue to provide high-quality employment in the region,” said Commissioner Socolow. “An important element of the State’s comprehensive plan to help employers and employees transition to the new regional economy is reaching an agreement with the Army on an MTAC approach to maintain highly-skilled workers in New Jersey.”

The State and the Army are working together to refine the details of the MTAC initiative. Staff members from both teams will continue to meet over the next several months to develop a specific plan to assist the Army in retaining key senior individuals with critical skills and experience who otherwise would be likely to depart, in order to reduce the impact on the Army's mission during the transition.

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Photos from Governor Corzine's public events are available in the Governor's Newsroom section on the State of New Jersey web page.