Perdue pleads case for Joint Strike Fighters

Gov. Bev Perdue sent a letter to President Barack Obama Wednesday pushing for the continued funding of the Joint Strike Fighters planned for Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and emphasizing the strategic importance of the Fleet Readiness Center East, at Havelock, to the future of the nation’s security and North Carolina’s economy.

“Eastern North Carolina is my home, and I know how important these military assets are for jobs and for the community,” Perdue wrote.

The governor wants Obama to resist cuts to the F-35B, the vertical- and short-takeoff jet slated to replace the Marines’ aging AV-8B Harrier even as the federal budget comes under increasing pressure.