Two Thirds Of The U.S. Navy's 'Rapid Surge Capability' Has Been Lost

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan travels through the Pacific Ocean with other ships assigned to the Rim of the Pacific 2010 exercise, north of Hawaii, July 24, 2010. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dylan McCord

Navy’s Top Officer: Global Surge Ability Lessened, But Pacific Ops Restored -- Stars and Stripes

The Navy has lost two-thirds of its rapid “surge capability,” meaning the service has less flexibility to use its largest battle groups to respond to global hotspots, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert said Friday.

However, funding that came following the across-the-board defense budget cuts in March has allowed the Navy to designate a U.S.-based carrier group as surge-ready heading into 2014, which allows scheduled deployments in the contentious Asia-Pacific region to continue as planned.

The Navy normally has sets of three carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups in the Atlantic and Pacific designated for surge duty – meaning they are ready to respond and combine with other deployed units within 1-2 weeks in an emergency situation.

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My Comment: This is a jaw dropping statement from the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert. The US Navy receives tens of billions of dollars in funding each year .... and they now do not have enough !?!?!?!?!