FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — North Carolina leaders are working with the state's congressional delegation as they seek a delay of military cuts and a review of the effect of reductions on national security, a representative of Gov. Pat McCrory told Fort Bragg and Army officials Thursday.

Retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Paul Dordal, a member of the North Carolina Military Affairs Commission, spoke at a "listening session" held by Bragg and other military leaders. Speakers at the session, attended by about 450 people, spoke of North Carolina as "the most military-friendly state" in the country and said that when the president calls 911, Fort Bragg answers the phone.

Dordal, one of two retired military officers who spoke on behalf of McCrory, said North Carolina has exhibited its support of Fort Bragg in many ways, including by connecting the post to Interstate 295 and by supporting a $100 million bond initiative for military projects.

"All of this shows North Carolina is a very strong ally to the Army and to DOD," he said. "We'll work hard to continue that relationship. But we do not support these budget-driven cuts that the Army is being compelled to make due to sequestration and the Budget Control Act of 2011. If these cuts are enacted, we cannot respond to the rising threats from ISIS, from the fighting in Ukraine, from the threat from Iran" or continue humanitarian efforts.

"And we'll be undermanned. We'll be under-ready," he said.

The Military Affairs Commission is working the state's congressional delegation "and asking our Army to delay any further decisions on force reductions until a strategic review can be completed to ensure that our force requirements meet the threats that now exist," he said. "And these threats are not going away ... they are increasing."

If the review shows that some cuts are still needed, "these cuts need to be made on the basis of what the threats are and not just based on across-the board cuts of sequestration," Dordal said.

An Army report says Fort Bragg could lose as many as 16,000 soldiers and civilians over the next decade, and the region could lose 21,563 jobs. The report also says the regional economic eaffect would be almost $1 billion.

It all adds up to a potential "economic tsunami" for the region, said Kenneth Edge, chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, pointing to a possible loss of $11.3 million in sales tax receipts. The tax base would erode further, resulting in more businesses closing and more homes in foreclosure, he said.

Seventy percent of Fort Bragg soldiers and their families live off post, he said. "They are our citizens, our neighbors, our students, our church members, our customers and our heroes," Edge said.

Like Dordal, state Rep. John Szoka, R-Cumberland, pointed out ways the state has helped Fort Bragg, including the rerouting of Bragg Boulevard to limit public access to the post. "North Carolina wants to be the most military-friendly state in the nation," he said. "And we think we are. And I ask you to judge that by deeds, not words."

Similar sessions have been held at 14 other installations; 15 more are scheduled. Military leaders said a public announcement of the cuts is expected this summer, possibly in late June.

Brig. Gen. Roger Cloutier assured the crowd that the top military leaders haven't decided where to reduce the number of troops. "This is not about numbers," he said. "This is about hopes and dreams and soldiers and families. And they get it. I can tell you they don't sleep well at night right now. And they will make the best decisions they can with the information they have so we can do our job and defend freedom."

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