Summary: The 1993 Bottom-Up Review--an evaluation of the nation's defense strategy, force structure, and modernization done in response to the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union--concluded that a force of 10 aircraft carriers could meet the military's war-fighting requirements but that 12 carriers were needed for sufficient overseas presence. The Bottom-Up Review recommended that construction of CVN-76 begin in fiscal year 1995 to maintain the 12-carriers force structure, allow flexibility in the carriers force size, avoid cost increases arising from a construction delay, and preserve the industrial base at Newport News Shipbuilding. This staff study supplements GAO's April 1994 testimony (GAO/T-NSIAD-94-171) on the affordability of several carrier force structure investment alternatives to begin building CVN-76 in fiscal year 1995. The staff study discusses the budget implications of a wide range of options for meeting the Bottom-Up Review force structure requirement for 12 carriers, including the purchase of conventionally powered carriers instead of nuclear-powered carriers. It also discusses each option's effect on employment levels at Newport New Shipbuilding.
