U.S. Aircraft Carrier Readiness Hit Budget Cuts

U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Ryan J. Courtade/Released

Carrier Readiness Threatened By Budget Woes -- DoD Buzz

Until last week, the Navy was hard-pressed for money even to pay for the tow of the aircraft carrier Lincoln on the short haul from Norfolk to Newport News, much less begin the $2.6 billion overhaul the ship needs to rejoin the fleet.

“The funding is now in line,” for the Lincoln, but the complex overhaul involving switching out her nuclear fuel will make the ship unavailable for duty until 2015, said Lt. Dan Day, a spokesman for the Fleet Forces Command at the Norfolk, Va., Naval Station.

The Lincoln served as the prime example of the Navy’s problem in keeping the carriers at sea. The challenges the budget cuts pose in maintaining the Navy’s carrier fleet will garner attention when Navy leaders gather next week at the Sea Air Space 2013 symposium sponsored by the Navy League at National Harbor, Md.

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