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New HQ to bring people, jobs, prestige to Bragg

In the short term, the massive headquarters building being built at Fort Bragg will bring construction jobs at a time when local builders, hurt by the nationwide economic situation, are struggling to find work.

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FORT BRAGG, N.C. — Fort Bragg broke ground Monday on a massive headquarters building that will bring two new commands and thousands of soldiers and their families to the post.

The headquarters will house the Army's largest command – U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) – responsible for more than 750,000 soldiers. The Army Reserve Command, which oversees all Army Reserve forces, will share the building. Both will move to North Carolina from Fort McPherson, Ga., when the project is complete.

An estimated 2,700 people, some of them four-star generals, will work in the 700,000-square-foot, $300 million building when it opens in 2011.

High-paying jobs associated with the headquarters are expected to be a boon to the local economy. Salaries in the FORSCOM average $93,000 per year.

Along with the leadership, an additional 20,000 soldiers and civilians could be added to Fort Bragg's population, increasing the total to about 70,000.

In the short term, the project will bring about 400 construction jobs at a time when local builders, hurt by the nationwide economic situation, are struggling to find work.

The federal government is investing nearly $289 million in the project, which is a centerpiece of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process.

The long-term benefits of BRAC could bring Fort Bragg added significance in matters of national defense. And, as defense contractors establish headquarters and jobs near the post, an additional 40,000 people could find the 11-county region around Fort Bragg an attractive place to work and live.

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