Search

Lawmakers Blast Navy Plan To Retire Hospital Ship

Lawmakers Blast Navy Plan To Retire Hospital Ship
The People's Liberation Army (Navy) hospital ship Peace Ark (T-AH 866), the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19), the Military Sealift Command fast combat support ship USNS Rainier (T-AOE 7) and the Royal Norwegian Navy frigate HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen (F310) maneuver into formation for a photo exercise during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2014. (U.S. Navy photo)

The U.S. Navy’s plan to retire one of its two hospital ships is drawing fire from lawmakers who say the vessels provide important services for overseas humanitarian missions and victims of domestic natural disasters.According to the lawmakers, the proposal to retire either the USNS Comfort or the USNS Mercy in 2020 is reflected in the Navy’s recently released fiscal year 2019 budget request. Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) called the proposed retirement a “strategic mistake,” especially since China recently sent its own hospital ship to…

Subscriber-only content. Please log in below.

Not a subscriber or registered user yet?

Please contact us at clientservices@accessintel.com or call us at 888-707-5814 (Monday – Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET.), to start a free trial, get pricing information, order a reprint, or post an article link on your website.



Congress Updates

Bipartisan Push in Senate to Hasten Export of 155 mm, GMLRS, HIMARS for Ukraine

A small, bipartisan group of senators is backing the Fast Tracking European Investment in Ukraine’s Defense Act, S. 5175, to hasten the export of allied buys of U.S. munitions for […]


Rep. Himes Signals Increased Contractor Oversight, if Democrats Win House

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, plans to increase the committee’s contractor oversight if the Democrats win control of the House […]


CBO Estimates Loss of One-Half to Two-Thirds of U.S. Missile Interceptors Since June Last Year

A new Congressional Budget Office report estimates the cost of the Iran war through Aug. 1 as $38 billion and says that the U.S. has likely depleted between one-half and […]


Fischer Says Golden Dome Boosters Need To Increase Capitol Hill Support With Information, Warns Against Counting On Reconciliation

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. – A Senate Armed Services panel chair today said boosters of the Golden Dome program still have work to do to increase support on Capitol Hill while […]