New tests for the first-in-class supercarrier are likely to delay the ship's arrival in the fleet, and experts say the delays will lead to less presence overseas or the last-minute ship schedule changes that officials have been trying to avoid.
Pentagon leaders have ordered the Navy to run the carrier Gerald R. Ford through shock tests, where explosives are set off close to the ship to test the soundness of the design. The tests, Navy leaders say, will push the Ford's first deployment back by half a year at least, according to a report in Navy Times' sister publication Defense News.
That forces the fleet to operate with 10 flattops even longer, a setup where the slightest setback will force officials to take up unpopular moves like extended deployments or temporarily lower carrier force levels overseas.
It's just the latest hitch in the implementation of the new deployment scheme that promises sailors more predictable schedules but has suffered repeated setbacks.
Chief Of Naval Operations Adm. Jon Greenert has stated that the Navy is seeking to return to 7-month deployments, calling repeated eight, nine and 10-month deployments unsustainable.
But with 10 carriers, and a standing requirement to have a carrier in the Pacific and one in the Middle East, the Navy has no more room for error, said Bryan Clark, a retired commander and analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.
READ: Navy Times