Lautenberg, Menendez, Holt, Pallone Announce Army Support to Keep Fort Monmouth Commissary Open for Two Years After Base Closes

Press Release

U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and U.S. Reps. Rush D. Holt (D-NJ-12) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06) today announced that Secretary of the Army John McHugh has issued a formal request to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to keep the commissary at Fort Monmouth open for two years after the base closes. The Senators and Congressmen have been calling on Secretary McHugh to keep this important facility open for military retirees and their families.

"We are pleased that Secretary McHugh has listened to our concerns about meeting the needs of military retirees, dependents, and others who rely on the commissary," Lautenberg, Menendez, Holt and Pallone said in a joint statement. "While the announcement that the commissary would remain open for two years after the closure is welcome, we will continue to press Secretary McHugh and the Defense Department to keep the facility open even longer. New Jersey's military retiree community and their dependents rely on this facility and deserve our full support."

The Senators and Congressmen met with McHugh as well as sent letters to reiterate the importance of the commissary for military retirees and their families across the state.

The Senators and Representatives received letters from Secretary of the Army John McHugh notifying them of his request to keep the commissary operational during this transitional period as long as the volume of sales does not decline dramatically. A final decision is pending approval from the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness.