The USS Gerald R. Ford may not be ready to deploy until 2024, a Navy official said Tuesday during a Capitol Hill hearing. The carrier was originally set to deploy in 2018. The delay has been blamed mostly on technology development, according to USNI News.
Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) criticized the delay and called the Ford a “$13-billion nuclear-powered floating berthing barge.”
Navy Secretary Richard Spencer said Wednesday that Luria and other critical lawmakers are not being helpful.
“We need everyone to realize that these are massively complex systems,” he said, according to Stars and Stripes. “Did we do things wrong? Yes, we did things wrong. We put a price cap on there.”
U.S. Navy photo of Rep. Elaine Luria on USS Gerald R. Ford by Seaman Zachary Melvin
In Our Communities
Minot Air Force Base, Montana is set to receive $850 million for upgrades to its nuclear weapons facilities, The North Dakota Monitor reported. The upgrades are part of a broader effort to modernize the nation’s nuclear arsenal, ensuring its reliability and...