That, supposedly, is the first question asked in Pentagon and White House briefings during time of crisis. Now, as Kristina Wong of The Hill writes,
The Navy is playing musical chairs and moving around three aircraft carriers in a complicated maneuver that will leave the Asia-Pacific region without a forward-deployed carrier for several months.
While
… there have been carrier gaps in the past, they have been worsened by defense cuts under sequestration, which have slowed maintenance for ships and caused more to be sidelined for greater lengths of time.
And it could have been worse.
The Obama administration had wanted to retire the George Washington — which would reduce the overall number of available carriers from 11 to 10, but Armed Services Committee lawmakers fought to pay for the maintenance, which some experts say would cost about $6 billion.
And
… put the carrier out of commission for several years.
