The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
Now that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has proposed a new defense strategy that involves reducing military spending, Hampton Roads' four congressmen want him to abandon plans to move a Norfolk-based aircraft carrier to Mayport, Fla.
In a letter to Panetta on Wednesday, the lawmakers said the secretary's recent announcement that he wants to retire several Navy ships and delay delivery of others in part because of budget concerns should also lead him to question the need for the Mayport relocation. The Navy wants to move the carrier in 2019.
"Given the breadth of defense budget reductions now being applied across the department, and specifically to the U.S. Navy, we remain convinced that allocating an estimated $500 million to $1 billion to this project would not be in the strategic interests of the Department of the Navy or in the fiscal interests of the nation," they wrote.
The letter is signed by U.S. Reps. Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake; Scott Rigell, R-Virginia Beach; Bobby Scott, D-Newport News; and Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland County.
They also reminded Panetta that Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert promised the region's congressional delegation in November that the Navy would re-examine the Mayport move as a part of an overall review of defense strategy and budgeting.
Hampton Roads leaders worry about the economic downside of the relocation. Losing a carrier would cost the region 6,000 jobs and $425 million in annual revenue, according to estimates by economists.
Members of Congress from Florida have been pushing hard for the carrier move, arguing that two East Coast bases are needed but also acknowledging the economic benefit to their state.
"Leaders at the highest levels of the Pentagon have stated from day one that they stand behind the strategic imperative of two nuclear-capable homeports on the East Coast - one in Norfolk, one in Mayport," U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, a Republican whose district includes the Florida naval port, said Thursday in a statement responding to the Virginia delegation's letter.
Bill Bartel, 757-446-2398, bill.bartel@pilotonline.com
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What is the chance of a tsunami
wrecking 3 or 4 carriers at the NSN piers? Slim chance is not "none". Combine the military problems created along with the local loss of repair infracture and civil disaster and it is a scenario worth considering.
Security
It's not about the money, it's the security.
SHIP MOVE
And Rigell is basing his decision on his extensive military experience and depth of knowledge since being in Congress? He is a joke and shows it each time he speaks in public.
greed
These guys just won't give up.
Anything for a federal buck.
Very shameful.
Traffic Problems
If one truly looks at the layout of our military personnel, facilities, and transportation problems created by the lack of State & Federal governments' cooperation in planning & funding, HR is a nightmare to national security. A snow storm of a few inches grinds this area to a halt. One does not need to mention terrorists with 7-9 truck bombs placed in strategic locales could shut this area down for months. It only takes a few disabled cars or crashes & HR is a parking lot for hours. How did it get this way? Eventually these tolls will bring people back to a non-transit society. Maybe more businesses will look into telecommuting options which have been available in cities like LA and NY for decades. Our area mighty truly become 21st century
Are you kidding?
Guess you never saw Jax's Atlantic Ave at rush hour. Makes the HRBT look like a quick commute.
Send one down
There should be ships based in Norfolk, Florida
and New York. It just makes sense to guard the
east coast from 3 strategic locations. Sure, it
will hit us in the wallet. But if Norfolk is
crippled by an attack or a natural event, it
leaves the military short of the equipment it
needs to guard the eastern U.S.
For those not familiar with Mayport, FL
for an emergency sortie, a sea detail from the piers in Norfolk is roughly 3 hrs plus before they can start to run in the Atlantic Ocean. From Mayport, roughly 30 to 60 minutes at most. The DDs, DDGs and FFGs do it routinely in 30-45 minutes at most. So if a carrier is needed southward quickly and she is already in port at Mayport, not much time to get going.
Carrier to Florida
Since I have been to both Norfolk and Jacksonville (Mayport), I ythink it is in the Navy's interest to keep a carrier down there for 4th Fleet for deployment to the Caribbean, Central & South America or even the Med as necessary. So strategically it is a good idea, the better question is whether this is the best investment of Navy funds now when compared to other priorities (and that should be up to SecNav and the CNO, not local congressmen who are of course biased).
Losing what we don't have?
When the Enterprise is decomissioned next year, we will "lose" one regardless. The question is where the PCU Gerald R. Ford will be home-ported when completed a few years later. I imagine Mayport sees it as a replacement for "their" decomissioned Kennedy.
Considering that we also get every ship in the Nimitz class temporarily assigned to this port for refueling at Newport News, it seems a bit selfish to ask for more... but in the short term, settling for nuclear carrier maintenance facilities at just one port on the east coast will save a whole lot of money.