[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 96 (Monday, June 11, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S3622]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2607. Mr. RUBIO submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 2282 submitted by Mr. Inhofe (for himself and Mr. McCain) 
and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 5515, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2019 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel 
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle B of title X, add the following:

     SEC. 1018. INCREASE IN NUMBER OF OPERATIONAL AIRCRAFT 
                   CARRIERS OF THE NAVY.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) The aircraft carrier can fulfill the Navy's core 
     missions of forward presence, sea control, ensuring safe sea 
     lanes, and power projection as well as providing flexibility 
     and versatility to execute a wide range of additional 
     missions.
       (2) Forward airpower is integral to the security and joint 
     forces operations of the United States. Carriers play a 
     central role in delivering forward airpower from sovereign 
     territory of the United States in both permissive and 
     nonpermissive environments.
       (3) Aircraft carriers provide our Nation the ability to 
     rapidly and decisively respond to national threats, as well 
     as conducting worldwide, on-station diplomacy and providing 
     deterrence against threats to the United States allies, 
     partners, and friends.
       (4) Since the end of the cold war, aircraft carrier 
     deployments have increased while the aircraft carrier force 
     structure has declined.
       (5) Considering the increased array of complex threats 
     across the globe, the Navy aircraft carrier is operating at 
     maximum capacity, increasing deployment lengths and 
     decreasing maintenance periods in order to meet operational 
     requirements.
       (6) To meet global peacetime and wartime requirements, the 
     Navy has indicated a requirement to maintain two aircraft 
     carriers deployed overseas and have three additional aircraft 
     carriers capable of deploying within 90 days. However, the 
     Navy has indicated that the existing aircraft carrier force 
     structure cannot support these military requirements.
       (7) Despite the requirement to maintain an aircraft carrier 
     strike group in both the United States Central Command and 
     the United States Pacific Command, the Navy has been unable 
     to generate sufficient capacity to support combatant 
     commanders and has developed significant carrier gaps in 
     these critical areas.
       (8) Because of the continuing use of a diminished aircraft 
     carrier force structure, extensive maintenance availabilities 
     result which typically exceed program costs and increase time 
     in shipyards. These expansive maintenance availabilities 
     exacerbate existing carrier gaps.
       (9) Developing an alternative design to the Ford-class 
     aircraft carrier is not cost beneficial. A smaller design is 
     projected to incur significant design and engineering cost 
     while significantly reducing magazine size, carrier air wing 
     size, sortie rate, and on-station effectiveness, among other 
     vital factors, as compared to the Ford-class. Furthermore, a 
     new design will delay the introduction of future aircraft 
     carriers, exacerbating existing carrier gaps and threatening 
     the national security of the United States.
       (10) The 2016 Navy Force Structure Assessment states ``A 
     minimum of 12 aircraft carriers are required to meet the 
     increased warfighting response requirements of the Defense 
     Planning Guidance Defeat/Deny force sizing direction.''.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the United States should expedite delivery of 12 
     aircraft carriers; and
       (2) an aircraft carrier should be authorized every three 
     years.
       (c) Increase in Number of Operational Aircraft Carriers of 
     the Navy.--
       (1) Increase.--Section 5062(b) of title 10, United States 
     Code, is amended by striking ``11 operational aircraft 
     carriers'' and inserting ``12 operational aircraft 
     carriers''.
       (2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) 
     shall take effect on September 30, 2022.
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