EVERETT — A “big-picture” Pentagon report released Monday calls for the Navy to maintain its existing aircraft carrier fleet.
This could mean good news for Everett.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is scheduled to leave in 2013 for mid-life refueling of its nuclear reactors. Uncertainty about which, if any carrier, might replace the Lincoln has been a concern among community leaders for some time.
The Defense Department’s Quadrennial Defense Review and its budget requests were offered up this week, with the plan that a fleet of 10 to 11 aircraft carriers would remain active. Had the report called for reducing the fleet, there’s a chance Everett might have had a hard time getting another carrier.
A replacement ship has not been named by the Navy, but there’s been no indication that the Lincoln won’t be replaced, said Pat McClain, the city of Everett’s executive director for governmental affairs.
“The Lincoln is certainly the centerpiece of Naval Station Everett, but it’s likely the base would maintain similar population levels, even with different boats,” McClain said.
Millions of federal tax money for new barracks and other improvements was invested in the base during the past year, he said, making it unlikely that the Navy would abandon such an investment.
“We’ve also seen a movement of Navy activity from the Atlantic to the Pacific, because the world angst is in this direction,” McClain said. “What the (Pentagon review) indicates is that with the current state of the world, you better leave those (carriers) around, guys.”
Naval Station Everett is the second-largest employer in Snohomish County after Boeing. Its 6,400 military members, civilian employees and private contractors make up a payroll of about $230 million a year, McClain said.
Civic and political leaders continue to talk about the need to make sure the Navy understands its economic imprint on the county.
Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said he has been clear with his desire for a replacement carrier for Everett.
“I will continue to advocate for bringing more ships to Naval Station Everett because it is the most modern base in the Navy, is strategically located and has the full support of the local community,” Larsen said.
A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said her staff is reviewing the study to see if it contains any recommendations that might have an immediate impact on military facilities based in Washington.
In addition to the issue of aircraft carriers, the Defense Department review also calls for 26 additional EA-18G Growler aircraft.
The Growler is a radar-jamming jet that by 2012 is scheduled to replace the EA-6B Prowler at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. Like the Prowler, the Growler flies from the decks of aircraft carriers such as the Lincoln.
The Navy rolled out the new Growler during a ceremony in June 2008 in Oak Harbor.
The Pentagon’s plans still need approval from Congress.
Reporter Jerry Cornfield contributed to this story.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
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