National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. WITTMAN. Simply put, this amendment seriously jeopardizes national security and also our ability to project power and maintain a forward presence in an ever-growing dangerous world. The backbone of our Navy is our carrier strike force. In order to have seven carriers, we need to have 11. There are carriers that are in port to be refueled, sailors that have to rest. Eleven equals seven.

Today we see in the Central Command, they request two aircraft carriers. They're only provided one in the most dangerous area of the world, the Middle East. If we can't meet the requirements that our commanders are asking for, then why would we want to be reducing the number of carriers? That just doesn't make sense.

There's a misconception, too, that because we're moving out of Afghanistan, that somehow there won't be a need for a presence of an aircraft carrier there in the Arabian Gulf. That is absolutely wrong. We need that presence there. The way we maintain that presence is to make sure that we have a minimum of 11 aircraft carriers.

Our forward presence is needed today, and we want to make sure that this is done, especially with the reposturing to the Asian Pacific.

With that, Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment.

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