Press Releases

Washington, D.C.—Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) today commended the Navy’s decision to indefinitely suspend its controversial plan to re-locate a Norfolk-based aircraft carrier to Naval Station Mayport, Fla. Senator Webb, a former Secretary of the Navy, has consistently advocated retaining the Navy’s current East Coast assignments for nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs), describing the Navy’s plan to create a redundant carrier homeport at Mayport as “fiscally irresponsible and strategically unnecessary.”

“When the Bush administration first announced its intention to relocate an aircraft carrier from Norfolk to Mayport, Florida, I stood together with my fellow former Navy Secretary, Senator John Warner, in the strong belief that keeping the carrier in Norfolk was both strategically and fiscally justified,” said Senator Webb, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “I have never wavered from this position, and the Navy’s homeporting decision affirms the strategic and fiscal logic behind it.”

Senator Webb’s opposition to the Navy’s plan subjected it to intense scrutiny, marked at the outset by his release of a 24-page critical assessment in January 2009 and repeated public calls to defense officials for strategic and fiscal justification and reassessment. Most recently, Senators Webb and Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced a provision in the 2012 defense authorization bill requiring the Comptroller General to conduct an independent, risk-based review of the Navy’s plan and also urged elimination of $30 million for two projects associated with the Navy’s proposal.


The following is a timeline of Senator Webb’s actions and involvement throughout the carrier transfer issue:

11/17/2008: “Joint Statement of Senators Warner And Webb On The Homeporting of a Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier at Naval Station Mayport, Florida”

“We have deep concerns with Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter’s announced preference to create a second East Coast homeport for a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at Mayport, Fla. This announcement is not supported by economic logic or strategic necessity. Given the extraordinary financial crisis facing our nation today and the compelling need to invest in higher-priority Navy budget requirements, the announcement enters the realm of fiscal irresponsibility.”

11/19/2008: Senators John Warner and Jim Webb send a letter to the Secretary of Defense to express concerns regarding the Navy’s decision to homeport additional ships at Naval Station Mayport.

11/20/2008: “Sens. Warner & Webb, Sen.-Elect Warner & Gov. Kaine Call Navy's Proposal For New Aircraft Carrier Homeport Strategically Flawed, Fiscally Irresponsible”

12/5/2008: Senators John Warner and Jim Webb send a letter to the Acting Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and the Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service expressing concerns that the Navy did not adequately assess the environmental impact of CVN homeporting in Mayport.

12/8/2008: “Warner and Webb Concerned with Navy Fast-Tracking of Environmental Studies; Request Briefings on Environmental Issues for Proposal to Homeport Carrier in Florida”

12/10/2008: Senators John Warner and Jim Webb respond to a reply from the Secretary of Defense in order to re-emphasize their concerns about the justification and strategic value of the decision.

12/11/2008: Senator Webb joined Virginia delegation members in writing to the Secretary of Defense to urge postponement of the Navy’s Record of Decision on the homeporting of additional ships in Mayport.

1/8/2009: “Sen. Webb Debunks Navy's Homeporting Proposal In 24-Page Report”

Senator Webb issued a 24-page critical assessment of the Navy’s proposal to homeport a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at Mayport, Fla., as the Navy readies its Record of Decision on the controversial matter. His report challenged the strategic rationale, fiscal responsibility, environmental assessment, and impact on Sailors and families associated with the Navy’s proposed move.

1/8/2009: Senator Webb sends a letter to the leaders of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees urging them to withhold defense appropriations which would facilitate Mayport homeporting

1/12/2009: Senator Webb sends a letter to the Secretary of the Navy, including his 24-page critical assessment, which requests further justification for the Navy’s decision.

1/14/2009: “Statement of Senator Webb on the Navy's Record of Decision Regarding a Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier”

“I have yet to receive a proper, intelligence-based assessment from the Navy on this matter, despite the fact that as late as January 12, the Chief of Naval Operations confirmed that he could not identify a threat-based requirement for this proposal. If I were serving as Secretary of the Navy today, I would be very worried about where I would be finding $4.6 billion to pay for unfunded requirements in the Navy's existing budget.”

1/15/2009: “Defense Nominees Pledge Review of Mayport Homeporting Decision to Senator Webb”

3/17/2009: Senator Webb sends a letter to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy urges reconsideration of the homeporting decision, in light of recent budget shortfalls.

6/11/2009: “Senator Webb's letter to the Defense Department on Mayport, priorities of higher risk”

9/18/2009: “Webb, Warner, Forbes, Nye, Scott & Wittman Urge Armed Services Committees to Keep $46.3 Million out of Defense Budget for Dredging at Naval Station Mayport”

11/10/2009: “Statement by Senator Jim Webb On the Dredging of Naval Station Mayport’s Channel and Turning Basin Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010”

12/23/2009: “Senator Webb Raises New Concerns with Navy Homeporting Proposal”

Senator Webb raised new objections over the Navy’s proposal to homeport a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in Mayport, Florida. Senator Webb wrote to Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn III asking him to address his concerns before the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) completes its assessment of the Navy’s proposal.

2/25/2010: “Webb on Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier Homeporting in Mayport: ‘This Discussion is Not Over; We Are Going to Have to Make Better Use of Limited Funds’”

“I would like to emphasize that this discussion is clearly not over. We are going to have to make better use of limited funds.”

4/22/2010: “Webb: Homeporting a Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier In Mayport, Fla. ‘Unlikely to Happen’”

“As I have said many times, there are better homeporting alternatives for Mayport, Florida, to include nesting of new Littoral Combat Ships on the East Coast, that would not require spending a billion dollars to build a redundant nuclear facility in Florida.”

5/11/2010: “Webb: GAO Report Shows Flawed Basing-Decision Process Involved in Carrier Homeporting Proposal”

7/1/2010: “Scrapping Mayport Homeporting Proposal Advances Secretary Gates’ Goal of Greater DoD Budget Savings”

3/31/2011: “Senators Webb, Warner:  GAO Report Highlights Mayport’s Inability to Maintain Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carrier”

6/17/2011: “Webb: Defense Bill Will Support Troops, Enhance Strategic Posture, Impose Efficiencies”

Senator Webb announced that the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012, reported out by the Senate Committee on Armed Services on June 16, 2011 contained an important provision which requires a report to Congress by February 1, 2012 on the Navy’s proposal to homeport a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at Naval Station Mayport. The amendment would require the Comptroller General to conduct an independent analysis of the Navy’s plan, assessing such factors as the strategic, fiscal and operational risks, requirements, and constraints the Navy’s plan seeks to address.

7/19/2011: “Senator Webb: Carrier Move to Mayport is ‘Slippery Slope’”

Senator Webb spoke from the Senate floor in support of two amendments that would eliminate a combined $30 million in funding for projects required to homeport a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier at Naval Station Mayport, Florida.  

8/12/2011: “Senator Webb to GAO: Navy Force Structure Does Not Justify Redundant Facility in Mayport”

9/26/2011: “Hampton Roads Lawmakers Call on New Chief of Naval Operations to Reassess Mayport in Light of Budgetary Constraints”

12/6/2011: Senators Webb and Mark Warner (D-VA) sent a letter to the leaders of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees to urge inclusion of provisions that would eliminate $30 million for Mayport construction.

12/7/2011: “Webb, Warner Urge Elimination of $30 Million for Naval Station Mayport from Final Defense Bill”

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.  

 

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