Crenshaw to CNO Roughead: Make Naval Station Mayport Nuclear Ready as Quickly as Possible
Press Release
Citing national security as a focal point, Congressman Ander Crenshaw today (7/13) underscored the need and benefit of making Naval Station Mayport nuclear ready as quickly as possible, during a Capitol Hill meeting with Chief Naval Official Gary Roughead.
Crenshaw, a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Senators Bill Nelson and George LeMieux met with Roughead to discuss the homeporting schedule for Naval Station Mayport. They also reviewed the schedule for homeporting East Coast Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) and other issues regarding Jacksonville Navy bases, during the meeting in Senator Nelson's Senate office.
"From the Secretary of Defense to other military leaders, the decision remains universal: homeporting a nuclear aircraft carrier at Mayport is in the best national security interest of our country. No more time is needed to discuss or argue that point. The focus should now be on the projects needed to make Mayport nuclear ready; that's the message I took to Admiral Roughead," said Crenshaw. "Our nuclear aircraft carriers are key to the execution of a national security strategy, and anything we can do to fulfill that mission sooner rather than later is a "win-win' for everyone."
"I fought for Mayport funding and won before and will fight beside by colleagues again to make sure military dollars are directed to making this Navy base nuclear ready," Crenshaw continued. "History shows that when national security demanded it, the Navy stepped up -- moving the Marines from Japan to Guam and making Yokosuka, Japan nuclear ready. Moreover, budget pressures will only grow worse in the coming years, so it only makes sense to speed up the process since the decision to homeport a carrier at Mayport has already been made."
During the meeting, Crenshaw, Nelson, and Lemieux discussed the importance of the LCS for Mayport as the FFG class (frigates) is decommissioned. Roughead agreed that was an important goal.
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