Navy Nuclear Aircraft Carrier (CVN) Homeporting at Mayport: Background and Issues for Congress

Abstract

On January 14, 2009, the Navy announced that it wants to transfer one of its nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs) to the Navy home port at Mayport, Florida, known formally as Naval Station (NAVSTA) Mayport. On April 10, 2009, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced that it had decided to delay a final decision on whether to propose transferring a CVN to Mayport until it reviews the issue as part of its 2009-2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). The Navy's proposed FY2010 budget requests $46.3 million in Military Construction (MilCon) funding for channel dredging at Mayport. DoD states that it "intends to dredge the Mayport channel in fiscal 2010 to allow the Navy port to dock a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. This action would provide an alternative port for a carrier on the East Coast if a manmade or natural disaster or other emergency closes the Navy's base in Norfolk, Va., or the surrounding sea approaches. The dredging of the Mayport channel will support any future decisions to permanently homeport a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier." The Navy's desire to transfer a CVN to Mayport is an issue of interest to some Members of Congress. Many observers expect that transferring a CVN to Mayport would result in a CVN being transferred out of Norfolk, known formally as NAVSTA Norfolk. Transferring a CVN from Norfolk to Mayport would shift from Norfolk to Mayport the local economic activity associated with homeporting a CVN, which some sources estimate as being worth hundreds of millions of dollars per year to the economy of the home port area. Transferring a CVN to Mayport would require congressional approval of MilCon funding for dredging and construction work to make Mayport capable of homeporting a CVN. This report discusses potential questions for Congress to consider regarding the homeporting of a CVN at Mayport.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 19, 2009
Accession Number
ADA501940

Entities

People

  • Ronald O'Rourke

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircraft Carriers
  • Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion
  • Ballistic Missile Submarines
  • Boats
  • Environment
  • Marine Transportation
  • National Security
  • Naval Operations
  • Navy
  • Nuclear Powered Ships
  • Nuclear Propulsion

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.
  • Strategic Security Studies