Share

US to maintain 11 carriers, despite cuts

PENTAGON budget cuts will not threaten the US aircraft carrier fleet and the Navy plans to keep 11 afloat, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said Saturday.

"The carriers play a major role in our force, not only today but they will play an important role in the future. You're part of what keeps our force agile and flexible and quickly deployable and capable on taking on any enemy anywhere in the world," Panetta told about 1 700 sailors.

"It's for that reason that the president of the US and all of us working at the department of defence have decided that it is important to maintain our carrier force at full strength and that means we'll be keeping our 11 carriers in our force," Panetta said to a swell of cheers in one of the ship's hangars.

The Pentagon has to find $487bn in spending cuts in the next decade.

Experts and analysts had speculated in recent weeks over the upkeep costs for aircraft carriers as Panetta will have to deliver a belt-tightening budget in the near future.

He said maintaining the carriers, each of which carry near 80 aircraft and helicopters, was key to US military projection in the Pacific and Mideast, but indicated that the navy would face some cost-cutting.

"We have to look at every area," Panetta said.

The USS Enterprise, cruising off Georgia, is supposed to be taken out of service at year end after 51 years at sea. The navy will have 10 carriers for three years - the time it will take to finish building the USS Gerald Ford.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.2%
Platinum
910.50
+1.5%
Palladium
1,011.50
+1.0%
Gold
2,221.35
+1.2%
Silver
24.87
+0.9%
Brent-ruolie
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders