Title: 12 Carrier Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
12 Carrier Act
This bill requires the U.S. Navy to have no less than 12 operational aircraft carriers as part of its naval combat forces.
Presently, the Navy must have 11 such carriers.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 700 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 700

 To increase the number of operational aircraft carriers of the Navy, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 22, 2019

 Mr. Conaway introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To increase the number of operational aircraft carriers of the Navy, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``12 Carrier Act''.

SEC. 2. 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 
        United States Pacific Command, the Navy has been unable to 
        generate sufficient capacity to support our combatant 
        commanders and has developed significant carrier gaps in these 
        critical areas.
            (8) Because of 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) Because of maintenance overhaul extensions, the Navy is 
        truncating basic aircraft carrier training to expedite the 
        deployment of available aircraft carriers. Limiting aircraft 
        carrier training decreases operational capabilities and 
        increases sailor risk.
            (10) The Navy has adopted a two-phase acquisition strategy 
        for the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), an action that will 
        delay the introduction of this aircraft carrier by up to two 
        years, exacerbating existing carrier gaps.
            (11) 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 when 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.

SEC. 3. INCREASE IN NUMBER OF OPERATIONAL AIRCRAFT CARRIERS OF THE 
              NAVY.

    (a) Increase.--Section 8062(b) of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended by striking ``11 operational aircraft carriers'' and inserting 
``12 operational aircraft carriers''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on September 30, 2023.
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