Press Releases

Washington, DC - As Senate and House Armed Services Committees negotiate the final version of the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) urged the elimination of approximately $30 million for two projects associated with the Navy’s proposal to homeport a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier (CVN) at Mayport, Florida.  

“In our view, funding these items is ahead of need and not justified,” said the Senators in a letter to the leadership of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees.  “It is premature to consider funding projects associated with the Navy’s East Coast CVN homeporting proposal until the results of the dual Navy and GAO assessments are completed and briefed to the congressional defense committees.”

“From a strategic perspective, the Navy is on the record stating there is a low risk of a terrorist attack, accident, or natural disaster occurring in the Hampton Roads region,” continued the Senators.  “We believe that a more rigorous risk-based, cost-benefit resource allocation assessment will demonstrate that in our current fiscal environment, an additional East Coast CVN homeport is unnecessary and unaffordable.”

Senators Webb and Warner have repeatedly raised concerns about the strategic necessity and fiscal responsibility of the Navy’s plan to build redundant nuclear-support infrastructure needed to homeport a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at Naval Station Mayport. In June, Senator Webb’s provision to require the Government Accountability Office to conduct an independent analysis of alternatives to the Navy’s plan was incorporated in the Senate report (SR-112-26) accompanying the FY2012 NDAA.

In September, both senators joined the Hampton Roads congressional delegation in asking the new Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, to reassess the necessity of CVN homeporting at Mayport given the existence of more cost-effective alternatives to sustain its future as an operational base. In response, Greenert acknowledged that ongoing strategic and budget reviews compelled the Navy to conduct a “… comprehensive strategic review, examining every program element, including the funding required to homeport a CVN in Mayport.”

Full text of the letter is below and the original letter can be viewed here.

December 6, 2011

The Honorable Carl Levin
Chairman
Senate Armed Services Committee
269 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Buck McKeon
Chairman
House Armed Services Committee
2184 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable John McCain
Ranking Member
Senate Armed Services Committee
241 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Adam Smith
Ranking Member
House Armed Services Committee
2402 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman and Ranking Members Levin, McKeon, McCain and Smith:

            Our purpose in writing is to urge you to include provisions in the conference report for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (NDAA) that will eliminate approximately $30 million in funding for two projects associated with the Navy’s proposal to homeport a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier (CVN) at Mayport, Florida, in 2019.  The FY12 funding is for a military construction project for road improvements at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, and planning and design activities associated with the Navy’s homeporting plan.  The House did not authorize appropriations for these projects in its version of the defense authorization bill.

            In our view, funding these items is ahead of need and not justified for several reasons.  The Navy estimates a total one-time cost of $588 million to homeport a CVN in Mayport, but other recurring costs will increase total expenditures substantially in future years.  Admiral Greenert, the Chief of Naval Operations, acknowledged in a letter to us dated October 21, 2011, that the size of fiscal adjustments associated with the ongoing Department of Defense strategic and budget reviews compelled the Navy to conduct a “… comprehensive strategic review, examining every program element, including the funding required to homeport a CVN in Mayport.”  

            In parallel with the Navy’s ongoing review, the Government Accountability Office is conducting an independent analysis of alternatives to the Navy’s homeporting plan as required by a provision in Senate Report (SR 112-26).  Scheduled for completion next spring, it will assess, at a minimum, the strategic, fiscal, and operational risks, requirements, and constraints the Navy’s homeporting proposal seeks to address.  

            We believe it is premature to consider funding projects associated with the Navy’s East Coast CVN homeporting proposal until the results of the dual Navy and GAO assessments are completed and briefed to the congressional defense committees.

            The Budget Control Act of 2011 places extraordinary constraints on current and future Department of Defense spending. We now face the possibility of even larger, abrupt reductions in defense spending that will begin in January 2013 under sequestration’s forced cuts.  Admiral Greenert expressed his views during testimony before the House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee earlier this year.  In the face of such reductions, he expressed concern about the Navy’s ability to meet the Global Force Management Plan, adverse impacts on readiness, and consequences for the defense industrial base should the Navy be required to reduce force structure.

            From a strategic perspective, the Navy is on the record stating there is a low risk of a terrorist attack, accident, or natural disaster occurring in the Hampton Roads region.  We believe that a more rigorous risk-based, cost-benefit resource allocation assessment will demonstrate that in our current fiscal environment, an additional East Coast CVN homeport is unnecessary and unaffordable.

            For the foregoing reasons, we ask that the Senate recede to the House position and not authorize FY12 funding for military construction projects, planning, and design activities associated with CVN homeporting in Mayport.  Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

Jim Webb
U.S. Senator

Mark Warner
U.S. Senator

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