OPINION:
The U.S. Navy’s worldwide sea power commitments require the availability of at least 11 aircraft carrier strike groups.
Our 11 aircraft carriers barely meet deployment needs because of worldwide flare-ups, transit times, routine maintenance, emergency maintenance and in-port replenishment.
The useful life of our carriers is 50 years, and our oldest carrier, the USS Nimitz, is 50 years old and due for retirement. Its retirement will probably be extended.
Two Ford-class carriers — the USS John F. Kennedy and the USS Enterprise — are under construction. Both carriers should incorporate drone warfare operations. We need to approve construction of our next Ford-class carrier, the USS Clinton (CVN-82), as soon as possible to replace aging carriers, and we must incorporate both offensive and defensive drone warfare systems.
Delays in the procurement and construction of the Clinton will have significant negative impacts on our Navy shipbuilding production lines, which include 2,000 businesses and 60,000 workers. If the situation isn’t addressed soon, suppliers could disappear and highly skilled workers could move on to other jobs. Furthermore, the carrier shipbuilding industry might not be able to recover from these losses.
The United States has to continue to challenge the expanding naval forces of China and Russia and keep the sea lanes open. About 90% of world trade flows across the oceans.
DONALD MOSKOWITZ
Londonderry, New Hampshire
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