Warner, Kaine Statement On Navy Homeport Announcement

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine released the following joint statement following the Navy’s announcement this evening regarding carrier homeport changes:

“Navy leadership has briefed us that today’s announcement is a routine shift to balance operational demands with shipyard capabilities.  This planned reshuffling of the carriers aligns the fleet with the Navy’s maintenance schedule.  Norfolk remains the premier East Coast hub for naval sea power projection, and Norfolk will gain the USS George Washington (CVN 73) from Japan when the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) moves from Norfolk to San Diego. This announcement also demonstrates the Navy’s continued commitment to aircraft carrier global presence, as well as Hampton Roads’ critical role at the intersection of construction, maintenance, and operational deployments. However, we remain concerned about the potential long-term impacts of sequestration on our Navy and our national security due to continued uncertainty in future budgets.  We will continue to strive to eliminate such ambiguity in future defense budgets.”

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