Navy may move carrier

WASHINGTON — One aircraft carrier may be moved permanently from the continental United States to Hawaii or Guam so the Navy could respond more quickly to a crisis in North Korea or elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, the Pacific Fleet commander said Wednesday.

Adm. Walter Doran, who is responsible for all Navy ships in the Pacific, said it is unclear whether the carrier would move from an East Coast or a West Coast base, and that no decisions have been made. The Navy has five carriers based on the West Coast , six on the East Coast and one in Japan.

On the West Coast, the USS Abraham Lincoln is based at Everett, the USS Carl Vinson is based at Bremerton, and the USS John C. Stennis, USS Nimitz and USS Constellation are based at San Diego. The USS Kitty Hawk is based at Yokosuka, Japan.

The Vinson was on patrol in the Sea of Japan for eight months before it was relieved by the Nimitz in September and returned to Bremerton. The Lincoln is in Bermerton for maintenance.

The possibility of a carrier move is part of a broader Pentagon study on repositioning forces around the world to reflect new priorities. Although the war on terrorism is currently focused mainly on the Persian Gulf region and Central Asia, the Asia-Pacific region is attracting more terrorist groups, Doran said.

The case of Navy aircraft carriers is complicated by the fact that creating a new home port in Hawaii or Guam would involve considerable cost and raise political and environmental issues. It also would affect thousands of Navy families and would require moving a carrier air wing.

"I’m looking at where I could better or best be positioned," Doran said. "Would it be better to move a carrier to Hawaii? Would it be better to move a carrier to Guam? These are major muscle movements. This is not being done on the back of an envelope."