On the recordJune 13, 2013
As long as we are on the subject of the Navy, the Navy actually did report to Congress in February 2013 with their force structure assessment, which called for 11 carriers to be in the force, which followed the strategic review which President Obama and Secretary Gates conducted in 2011, reported in early 2012, which talked about the repositioning to the Asian Pacific, which my friend, Mr. Wittman, talked about. And, in fact, articulated the fact that we are going to need more naval projection with that shift in strategy and focus for our country's future national security needs. Strategy should drive decisions here in Congress, both in terms of the defense bill and our budgets. The Navy has spoken, in fact, as recently as February of this year, with a report which I would be happy to share with any of my colleagues, which clearly articulated an 11- carrier force is what we need today and fits within the strategic review, which we have just exhaustively conducted under the leadership of Secretary Gates and President Obama. I urge a ``no'' vote on the amendment. {time} 1450
