Sun, Jan 04, 2009
Plan Called A Waste Of Money By Duplicating Capability
Although recommended by Secretary of
Defense Robert Gates, a plan to relocate a US Navy Aircraft Carrier
from Norfolk NAS in Virginia to Mayport NAS near Jacksonville, FL
has drawn criticism from Virginia legislators, calling the idea a
waste of money because it duplicates capability already in
Norfolk.
Gates recently opined that "there is significant national
security value" in moving an aircraft carrier to Mayport, but
according to Navy Secretary Donald Winter no timetable has been
established as a final decision on the move has not yet been
reached.
Norfolk TV station WVEC reports Republican Representative Randy
Forbes indicated his disapproval of the move with sharp remarks
directed at CNO Adm. Gary Roughead and Navy Secretary Donald
Winter.
"Every time that they come to us with the needs that they're
going to come to us for, we're going to ask them why in the world
can they come to us requesting those needs when they had a billion
dollars they can throw away to move an aircraft carrier down to
Florida?" Forbes said.
"We're going to make them defend that for the next several
months," Forbes added. "Hopefully, we can get other people in other
offices to re-look this and we still think we've got a good chance
to derail it."
Democratic Senator Jim Webb said, "There is no justification
economically or strategically for it, so I think these facts are
going to carry the day. They certainly should."
Presently there are four aircraft carriers calling Norfolk NAS
home, with a fifth, the USS George H.W. Bush, slated for
commissioning on January 10.
Citing the Pearl Harbor loss of numerous US ships harbored
together, supporters of the move pointed out that maybe it's 'not
good strategy' to concentrate all of the Navy's East Coast carriers
in one port.
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