Navy Aircraft Carriers: Proposed Retirement of USS John F. Kennedy -- Issues and Options for Congress
Abstract
The Navy's FY2006 budget proposes retiring the conventionally powered aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CV-67) in FY2006 and reducing the size of the carrier force from 12 ships to 11. The Kennedy is homeported in Mayport, FL. The proposal would not retire any other ships or any carrier air wings. Prior to this proposal, the Navy's plan was to maintain a 12-carrier force and keep the Kennedy in operation until 2018. The issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the proposal to retire the Kennedy and reduce the carrier force to 11 ships. DoD has estimated that retiring the Kennedy in FY2006 would reduce DoD funding requirements for FY2006-FY2011 by a net total of about $1.2 billion. The Kennedy was scheduled to begin a $350-million, 15-month overhaul in May 2005. In light of the proposal to retire the Kennedy, the Navy wants to use the $350 million to finance other Navy needs. On April 1, 2005, the Navy announced that it had canceled the overhaul. One potential issue is whether the carrier force should include 12 ships or some other number. If a carrier is to be retired in the near term so as to reduce the carrier force to 11 ships, a second potential issue is whether that carrier should be the Kennedy or another ship. Potential alternatives to the Kennedy include the conventionally powered Kitty Hawk and the nuclear-powered carriers Enterprise and Vinson. A third potential issue for Congress concerns the relative military advantages of different homeporting arrangements for the carrier force. Options for retiring a carrier and reducing the force to 11 ships include retiring the Kennedy in FY2006, retiring the Kennedy when Mayport, FL is qualified as a nuclear-carrier home port, retiring the Kitty Hawk and transferring the Kennedy to Japan, retiring the Kitty Hawk and transferring a nuclear-powered carrier to Japan, retiring the Enterprise, and retiring the Vinson.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 25, 2005
- Accession Number
- ADA472555
Entities
People
- Ronald O'Rourke
Organizations
- Library of Congress