VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The transfer of a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier from its current base in Norfolk, Va., to Mayport, Fla., remains a top priority for Adm. Gary Roughead, the chief of naval operations (CNO) said here May 12.
"I need to do what's best for the Navy," Roughead told reporters after speaking at the AFCEA/U.S. Naval Institute joint warfare conference. The strategic advantage of having two carrier bases on the East Coast is too important, he stressed.
Pressed by a reporter about the "emotional" responses of some Tidewater-region residents to the loss of the carrier, Roughead declared he needed to be unemotional about the matter.
"For me, it's purely a strategic issue," he said. "I'm obliged to do what's in best interests of the nation."
Virginia's congressional delegation has been fighting the move, which has been approved by the Pentagon.
This week, Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., chairman of the readiness subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, stripped out $30 million in the 2012 defense authorization bill, money needed to begin road improvements at Mayport to support the transfer.
Few non-Virginia lawmakers have raised objections to moving one of Norfolk's five carriers to Florida, scheduled to take place in 2019. The specific ship has yet to be identified by the Navy.
During his address, Roughead had another message for Congress. Asked about the effects of climate change, Roughead cited the warming of Arctic waters and the increasing access to the region.
Before too long, he said, "you're likely to have a reliable and routine sea route across the top of the world." Increased access will bring more disputes, he predicted.
"The vehicle for the adjudication of those disputes will be the Law Of The Sea," the CNO said, referring to an international treaty that has not been ratified by the Senate.
"We are not a party to that," Roughead lamented. "Decisions will be made that we will have no influence on. Myself and every one of my living predecessors have strongly endorsed becoming a party to that treaty. I think the time to do it is now.
"Nations are looking to us for leadership, and we are not there. We should agree to that treaty without delay," Roughead urged.
"I need to do what's best for the Navy," Roughead told reporters after speaking at the AFCEA/U.S. Naval Institute joint warfare conference. The strategic advantage of having two carrier bases on the East Coast is too important, he stressed.
Pressed by a reporter about the "emotional" responses of some Tidewater-region residents to the loss of the carrier, Roughead declared he needed to be unemotional about the matter.
"For me, it's purely a strategic issue," he said. "I'm obliged to do what's in best interests of the nation."
Virginia's congressional delegation has been fighting the move, which has been approved by the Pentagon.
This week, Rep. Randy Forbes, R-Va., chairman of the readiness subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, stripped out $30 million in the 2012 defense authorization bill, money needed to begin road improvements at Mayport to support the transfer.
Few non-Virginia lawmakers have raised objections to moving one of Norfolk's five carriers to Florida, scheduled to take place in 2019. The specific ship has yet to be identified by the Navy.
During his address, Roughead had another message for Congress. Asked about the effects of climate change, Roughead cited the warming of Arctic waters and the increasing access to the region.
Before too long, he said, "you're likely to have a reliable and routine sea route across the top of the world." Increased access will bring more disputes, he predicted.
"The vehicle for the adjudication of those disputes will be the Law Of The Sea," the CNO said, referring to an international treaty that has not been ratified by the Senate.
"We are not a party to that," Roughead lamented. "Decisions will be made that we will have no influence on. Myself and every one of my living predecessors have strongly endorsed becoming a party to that treaty. I think the time to do it is now.
"Nations are looking to us for leadership, and we are not there. We should agree to that treaty without delay," Roughead urged.
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