On January 21, 2015, the Bipartisan Virginia delegation wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel expressing their continued support for the 11 aircraft carrier fleet in advance of the release of the President’s Fiscal Year 2016 budget proposal.
The Virginia delegation, consisting of U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and U.S. Representatives Bob Goodlatte, Bobby Scott, Randy Forbes, Rob Wittman, Gerry Connolly, Morgan Griffith, Robert Hurt, Scott Rigell, Dave Brat, Don Beyer, and Barbara Comstock, wrote:
The deployment of our carrier fleet to numerous conflict zones across the globe last year further demonstrates why we must continue to invest in this critical capability to ensure future military capacity and flexibility.
In making the case for maintaining the 11 aircraft carrier fleet beyond 2015, Virginia delegation members cited the ability of aircraft carriers to respond rapidly throughout the world to military and humanitarian crises.
Delegation members concluded by noting the uncertainty and budgetary constraints imposed by sequestration, and committed to working tirelessly in a bipartisan manner to reduce its harmful impacts.
Image: US Navy