Virginia delegation urges retention of 11 aircraft carrier fleet
Both U.S. senators and all 11 representatives from Virginia signed a letter Wednesday expressing their support of the nation's 11 aircraft carrier fleet in advance of the release of the president's fiscal year 2016 budget proposal, expected in early February.
Last year, the Navy talked of retiring the USS George Washington, which is due into Newport News Shipbuilding for its midlife overhaul and refueling in March 2017, if steep budget cuts returned in 2016. But in December, a spending bill included $848.5 million toward the $4 billion project. That covers the cost expected this fiscal year in order to have things started when the carrier comes to the shipyard.
The Virginia delegation wants to make sure those preparations can continue next year, and that starts with the budget President Barack Obama presents next month.
Addressed to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, the letter emphasizes the fleet's importance to global security.
"The deployment of our carrier fleet to numerous conflict zones across the globe last year further demonstrates why we must continue to invest in this critical capability to ensure future military capacity and flexibility," the Virginia delegation members wrote. "Most recently, the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) was critical in responding with strikes against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and later assisted humanitarian relief efforts on Mt. Sinjar … Whether in the Asia-Pacific region or responding to continued strife in the Middle East, our national leaders and combatant commanders require carriers to meet the threats in today's world."
Signing were U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Mark Warner, D-Va., and U.S. Representatives Scott Rigell, R-Virginia Beach; Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke; Bobby Scott, D-Newport News; Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake; Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland; Gerry Connolly, D-Fairfax; Morgan Griffith, R-Salem; Robert Hurt, R-Charlottesville; Dave Brat, R-Henrico; Don Beyer, D-Alexandria; and Barbara Comstock, R-Fairfax.
By law, the U.S. fleet includes 11 carriers. It would take an act of Congress to reduce its number.
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