States Fight Over Aircraft Carrier Basing in Florida

For years the U.S. Navy kept an older aircraft carrier in Florida. It was used to support training of new pilots. With the retirement of all non-nuclear ships the decision was made not to do this anymore. Now the News Jacksonville.com is reporting that the Navy is considering moving one ship from Norfolk, VA to Jacksonville, FL. This has raised the ire of the Virginia Congressional Delegation. Because the new ship will be nuclear propelled their are upgrades required at the Mayport naval base which will cost several hundred million dollars. There will also be an economic impact from having the crew there and the money they bring into the local economy as well as the expanded business the new, large ship will bring to the area. This is primarily why Virginia is upset as they will lose this boost to their economy. For the last fifteen years the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process has been used to close and move military assets around as it was understood that Congress would not do anything as nobody wanted to close or reduce the local bases due to this economic effect.