"We want the administration to talk to NATO about the John F. Kennedy being a NATO ship," Hunter said. "Typically the United States brings the T-bone steaks and some of our allies bring the plastic forks. The John F. Kennedy might be a center for ... inspiring our allies to do more with respect to defense."
He did not elaborate on more details, but noted that the aircraft carrier hosts helicopter and vertical-lift aircraft.
You and the Congressman should read the following:
By Grayson Kamm
First Coast News
MAYPORT, FL -- Her future may be in question, but her destination is not. The U.S.S. John F. Kennedy got underway Tuesday morning for a week at sea, despite recent calls in Congress to retire the ship.
The future of the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy has been shaky to say the least. Right now, lawmakers in Washington are discussing what's next for the 37-year-old aircraft carrier, the third-oldest in America's twelve-carrier fleet.
A plan being pushed by Sen. John Warner (R-VA) calls for down-sizing the Navy's fleet, which would shut down Big John for good.
Despite all of that, the Kennedy went back out to sea Tuesday.
She headed out of Naval Station Mayport at around 10 a.m., steaming toward a spot off the coast where she'll spend the next week or so.
A spokesman says her crew will be running "proficiency operations," which means basic seamanship training, firefighting drills, and other exercises designed to keep sailors sharp.
On board the J.F.K. are about 2,300 sailors, but no jet pilots. A few months ago, the Navy ruled that only helicopters can use the Kennedy's old flight deck. That's because of long-overdue maintenance that the Navy has not done on the ship.
Even with those known issues, the ship's spokesman, Lt. Walter Matthews, says the Kennedy is still safe to operate, and her crew will learn a lot from this cruise.
As for the future of the ship, Sen. Warner's bill to shrink the fleet and decommission the Kennedy is currently stalled in the Senate.
We may know more about the effort to shut the ship down by the time her crew comes home from this cruise.
First Coast News