Members of the US House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee have drafted legislation for the annual defense policy bill that would block funding for the US Navy to operate fewer than 11 aircraft carriers.
The move comes after the Trump administration toyed in February with the idea of an early retirement for the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.
“No funding would go toward anything that would reduce the carrier force structure below the current statutory requirement of 11,” House Armed Services Committee staff members told reporters Monday, Military.com reported. In addition, the bill suggests the Navy build a 12-carrier fleet and proposes $17 million for the Navy to cover the costs of the Truman's refueling and complex overhaul.
“The committee continues to support an expansion of the aircraft carrier force structure to obtain the Navy's requirement of 12 aircraft carriers,” the bill states.
House Armed Services Committee staff members also said that the bill would eliminate a cost cap on building aircraft carriers that has been in place since 2007, noting that the cap has done “nothing to contain costs” and resulted in the Navy delaying building capabilities that carriers require.
“All it has done is driven inefficiencies within the Navy,” one staffer said, the Hill reported.
In April, the Trump administration reversed its decision to give the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier an early retirement after the Pentagon had considering…
