Navy Aircraft Carriers: Retirement of USS John F. Kennedy - Issues and Options for Congress (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Revised March 26, 2007 |
| Report Number |
RL32731 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Ronald O'Rourke, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
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Summary:
The conventionally powered aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CV-67) was decommissioned at Mayport, FL, on March 23, 2007. The ship will be towed to the Navy's inactive ship facility at Philadelphia, where it will be placed in preservation ("mothball") status. The Navy had proposed retiring the Kennedy and reducing the size of the carrier force from 12 ships to 11 as part of its proposed FY2006 and FY2007 budgets. Until mid-2005, the Kennedy was homeported in Mayport, FL. Prior to the proposal to retire the Kennedy, the Navy's plan was to maintain a 12-carrier force and keep the Kennedy in operation until 2018. The issue for the 109th Congress was whether to approve, reject, or modify the Navy's proposal in the FY2006 and FY2007 budget submissions to retire the Kennedy and reduce the carrier force to 11 ships.
In acting on the proposed FY2006 defense budget, the 109th Congress passed a provision that amended 10 U.S.C. 5062 to require the Navy to maintain a force of not less than 12 operational carriers. In acting on the proposed FY2007 defense budget, the 109th Congress passed a provision (Section 1011) in the FY2007 defense authorization act (H.R. 5122/P.L. 109-364 of October 17, 2006) that amended 10 U.S.C. 5062 to reduce the required size of the carrier force from 12 operational ships to 11 and to permit the retirement of the Kennedy under certain conditions. Specifically, Section 1011 prevented the Navy from retiring the Kennedy until it certified to Congress that it had received formal notices from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and NATO that these organizations did not desire to maintain and operate the ship. The provision requires, upon retirement of the ship, that while the ship is in the Navy's custody and control, the Navy maintain the ship in a condition that would allow for it to be reactivated in response to a national emergency. The provision requires, as a condition for transferring custody and control of the ship to another party, that the transferee return the ship to the Navy upon request of the Secretary of Defense in time of national emergency. The provision does not appear to require the transferee, while it has custody and control of the ship, to maintain the ship in a condition that would allow for it to be reactivated by the Navy in response to a national emergency.
In light of Section 1011 and the Kennedy's retirement, one potential issue for the 110th Congress concerns the Navy's future plans for the home port facility at Mayport. One potential option would be to qualify Mayport for homeporting a nuclear-powered carrierâa process that could take a few yearsâand then transfer one of the Navy's nuclear-powered carriers there. Another potential option would be to transfer one or more conventionally powered non-carrier ships, rather than a nuclear-powered carrier, to Mayportâa step that could be taken in the near term. A third potential option would combine the previous two by homeporting one or more additional conventionally powered ships at Mayport until Mayport is qualified for homeporting a nuclear-powered carrier and a nuclear-powered carrier takes their place.
This report will no longer be updated.
