Source: United States Senator for Oklahoma James Inhofe
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement after the U.S. Navy announced it had certified the eleventh and final advanced weapons elevator on the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) aircraft carrier:
“For the last three years I have closely tracked progress on the Advanced Weapons Elevators on the USS Gerald R Ford, because the Navy accepted delivery of this ship in 2017 despite none of these elevators working.
“I recognize the extraordinary effort that it has taken to finish all 11 of these elevators but this effort should not have been necessary.
“Based on the contract signed by the Navy and shipbuilder in 2008, the Ford should have been delivered in September 2015 at a cost of $10.5 billion. What actually happened is ship construction was not completed until yesterday — six years late and $2.8 billion over budget.
“The burden of this six-year delay has been borne by the other 10 aircraft carriers in our fleet deploying longer and more often, as well as gaps in carrier presence when no carrier could deploy, at a time when naval presence and capability could not be more critical for our national security.
“This situation is unacceptable. The Navy and its shipbuilders must do better, particularly on lead ships. To this end, recent National Defense Authorization Acts have included a number of provisions aimed at improving lead ship performance.
“I look forward to the Ford deploying fully capable and mission ready. The crew has my full support. With the Chinese Navy more than 60 ships larger and their capability improving every day, there is no time to waste.”