More Congressional opposition:
Defense NewsQuote:
Inhofe not on board with plans to shutter aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman
By: Joe Gould and David B. Larter 2 days ago
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s plans to cut costs by decommissioning the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier hit another powerful roadblock Thursday when Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe said he’s not yet convinced.
The Pentagon’s plan is to cancel the planned 2024 midlife refueling to save $30 billion over 25 years, but Inhofe, R-Okla., told acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, Joint Chiefs Chairman Joseph Dunford and Pentagon Comptroller David Norquist, that he was “a little disturbed” by that scenario.
“I am a little disturbed by the idea that we will be taking the USS Truman out of the system, and I wonder how this will work in our sheer numbers,” Inhofe said.
Inhofe is the latest key lawmaker to cast doubt on the plans. Last month, Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., the head of the House Armed Services Committee’s Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, said he would block the early decommissioning of the Truman as Congress debates the issue in its annual defense policy bill.
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