No Reduction In America's Carrier Force

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWccDwP6dGVk4yI1MQX58zIip5YzFqDHfYi0Xrjd5D1BJhp5gAM2A9HMYQFF_24Lnvf2XY4VQhnRPppVM5D2-i_TTIMXA9jV2GJZk3tlPIhGmtdioDpTgqgw_uy8wezw8f5dpSJ1o-30c-/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWccDwP6dGVk4yI1MQX58zIip5YzFqDHfYi0Xrjd5D1BJhp5gAM2A9HMYQFF_24Lnvf2XY4VQhnRPppVM5D2-i_TTIMXA9jV2GJZk3tlPIhGmtdioDpTgqgw_uy8wezw8f5dpSJ1o-30c-/s1600/2013-09-12-BZSSR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">9 Flattops at Norfolk naval base, December 20, 2012.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fleet-003-US-VA-Norfolk-20121220-N-ZN152-189.jpg"> Wikipedia</a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>US Nixes Plan To Reduce Carrier Force -- Zachary Keck, The Diplomat</b></span></div><br /><i>Pressure from the White House and Congress has led the Pentagon to drop a plan to reduce the number of aircraft carriers.</i><br /><br />The White House and members of Congress have rejected a proposal by the Pentagon to reduce the size of the U.S. aircraft carrier force as part of its effort to reduce defense spending.<br /><br />As The Diplomat noted last month, the U.S. Department of Defense and Navy were considering mothballing a U.S. aircraft carrier in the FY 2015 defense budget as they strive to implement Congressionally-mandated spending reductions. The plan called for retiring the USS George Washington, a Nimitz-class nuclear carrier first commissioned in 1992, before its midlife refueling and refurbishing set to begin in 2016. Forgoing the refueling and refurbishing phase would have saved the Pentagon $4.7 billion, although this would be partially offset by the $1.2 billion cost of decommissioning the carrier.<br /><br />It would also have reduced the U.S. Navy’s carrier force to ten.<br /><br /><b><a href="http://thediplomat.com/2014/02/us-nixes-plan-to-reduce-carrier-force/">Read more</a></b> ....<br /><br /><b>My Comment</b>: Reducing the US carrier force would have sent the wrong message to the world .... but with not enough money to support carrier operations it would not surprise if these carriers end up being at port for most of the time.<br /><br /><b>Update:</b> <a href="http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2014/02/07/pentagon_drops_plans_to_mothball_aircraft_carrier_107077.html">Pentagon Drops Plans to Mothball Aircraft Carrier</a> -- Adam O'Neal & Dustin Walker, Real Clear Defense

No Reduction In America's Carrier Force

9 Flattops at Norfolk naval base, December 20, 2012. Wikipedia US Nixes Plan To Reduce Carrier Force -- Zachary Keck, The Diplomat Pressure...

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