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.

FMI: www.navy.mil