Dear Colleague: Protect our Carrier Fleet - Oppose the Polis Amendment (201) to HR 1735

May 14, 2015

Dear Colleague:

We urge you to oppose Rep. Polis' amendment to HR 1735, the FY2016 National Defense Authorization Act.

If adopted, the Polis Amendment would amend § 5062 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code ("United States Navy: composition; functions") to reduce the statutory requirement for operational aircraft carriers from 11 to 10. This change would expose these incredibly valuable strategic assets to budget cuts and could undermine America's ability to respond to crises and deter conflict around the world.

When a crisis arises and American lives and interests are at risk, the first question decision makers ask is "Where are the carriers?"

Our Navy's aircraft carriers provide "4.5 acres of sovereign American territory" and a mobile base of operations that reduces the need to deploy U.S. boots on the ground. When ISIS blitzed through the Middle East last year, the strike fighters aboard the carrier George H.W. Bush were the only U.S. aircraft in position and ready to halt their advance. It took 54 days for the United States to negotiate deals with allies in the region that allowed us to employ aircraft based on their territory. In the months since, the carriers Carl Vinson and Theodore Roosevelt have rotated through the region, provided a constant American military presence, supporting ongoing operations against ISIS and deterring aggression by Iran.

To maintain this critical presence, America needs a fleet of at least 11 carriers.

This is not just some congressionally-mandated level—it is the number of carriers the Navy has said it needs to conduct current and future operations under our national security strategy. As the Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, said in March 2015, "Carrier force structure below 11 would inject significant risk in the Fleet's ability to comply with the Defense Strategic Guidance." Indeed, demand for aircraft carriers has been exceeding supply for years. As a result, carrier deployments have increased in length from 5.5 months on average in 2008 to 9.5 months for Carl Vinson in 2014-2015. This directly impacts the sailors who operate these important ships and their families. Rear Admiral Thomas Moore arguably put it best when he said "We're an 11-carrier Navy in a 15-carrier world."

Reducing carrier requirements will have serious consequences for our Navy.

In May 2014, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Greenert said "when I look out into the future, we need at least 11 carriers. That includes preserving the presence of today, the ability to react, be where it matters, when it matters." Because the demand for carrier presence and capabilities is not expected to decrease in the near term, reducing our carrier requirement and the size of our carrier fleet will not translate into savings or flexibility. In fact, arbitrarily reducing our carrier fleet to 10 ships would place a larger burden on the remaining force and our military personnel by increasing the length of deployments, reducing our ships and sailors' time at home, increasing the stress on our ships and the amount of maintenance they require, and increasing the stress on sailors and their families, potentially motivating them to leave the service.

An 11-carrier fleet is what our Navy and our Nation need. Oppose the Polis Amendment.

Sincerely,

J. Randy Forbes
Member of Congress

Joe Courtney
Member of Congress

Rob Wittman
Member of Congress

Susan Davis
Member of Congress

Scott Rigell
Member of Congress

Derek Kilmer
Member of Congress

Jackie Walorski
Member of Congress

Mike Conaway
Member of Congress

Bobby Scott
Member of Congress

Duncan Hunter
Member of Congress