Leaders send carrier questions to Navy

WASHINGTON (WAVY) - Local lawmakers and members of the Hampton Roads Military Affairs Commission sent a letter to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary Roughead Tuesday outlining their concerns about the Navy's desire to place an East Coast based nuclear powered aircraft carrier at Naval Station Mayport, Florida.

Currently all East Coast based nuclear powered aircraft carriers are homeported at Naval Station Norfolk.

The letter is the product of a Mar. 1 meeting of the nonpartisan Hampton Roads Military Affairs Commission in Virginia Beach and is signed by the members of the Commission, including Congressman Glenn Nye, Governor Bob McDonnell, and the bipartisan Hampton Roads delegation.

Congressman Nye called the meeting after Navy and Pentagon officials did not provide answers about the strategic necessity of the move during three hearings of the House Armed Services Committee.

"The bottom line is that the Navy has not made the case for spending over $1 billion to create a redundant East Coast carrier homeport, and there are far more questions than answers about this proposal," said Congressman Nye. "The proposed carrier move is not a done deal, and we're going to continue making the case that this is not a good use of taxpayer money."

In the letter, the Commission suggests that the Navy's public statements about the proposed carrier move do not adequately address a number of key concerns - and that budget projections have drastically underestimated the total cost of the move. CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LETTER.

The Hampton Roads Military Affairs Commission was formed by Congressman Nye in January to bring together local military experts, business leaders, and federal, state and local lawmakers to address military and defense issues affecting the entire region.

The Navy announced its intention to move a carrier to Mayport when it released its Quadrennial Defense Review on February 1.