With deep budget cuts a looming possibility in Washington, Gov. Beverly Perdue is trying to line up support from the White House for military installations in North Carolina.
Perdue sent a letter this week to President Barack Obama asking for continued commitment to projects at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and the Fleet Readiness Center East at Havelock.
The letter asks that the Pentagon follow through on a current plan to procure new F-35 Joint Strike Fighters for the air station and to support the mission of the readiness center.
Perdue says the two are important not just for North Carolina, but for the country's military capabilities.
The military accounts for about $23 billion a year in North Carolina's economy in direct and indirect spending.
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