Warship Woes
While the aircraft carrier fleet is undoubtedly one of the most impressive and crucial branches of the U.S. Navy, it is not immune to the sweeping cuts brought on by the sequester. The awarding of a $4 billion contract to start construction on the second of a series of carriers has been delayed. The Navy is attempting to reel in massive expenditures that are coming from the upgrade, upkeep and expansion of its fleets.
The contract was to be awarded to Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. in September, but will be postponed by as much as a year, according to U.S. officials.
The budget cuts have come at an inconvenient time. The Navy is in the midst of a shipbuilding plan for three Ford-class aircraft carriers. The estimated cost once they are completed and outfitted will be $43 billion. Then there is a $34 billion deal for 52 Littoral Combat Ships, and a plan to construct a 12-vessel nuclear submarine fleet with a price tag yet to be determined.
Huntington Ingalls has a $4.9 billion deal to build the first of the three carriers, uss Gerald R. Ford, also known as cvn-78. The contract was awarded in 2008, and since then the costs have skyrocketed 22 percent higher than the estimate five years ago. It is already the most expensive warship ever built, and is expected to cost $12.8 billion when completed.
This is not a good sign for the Navy, which must be looking at the second ship, the uss John F. Kennedy (cvn-79), and wondering how it will be financed.
The sequester—an agreement as part of the negotiations of raising the debt ceiling in 2011—cut most Defense Department budgets by 10 percent. The cuts are deep for the Navy, with talk of an expected shortfall of $14 billion this upcoming fiscal year.
Some are calling on the government to do more to dispense the budget cuts more evenly, to avoid such vast drawbacks for the military. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus called on Congress to act, saying that if it fails to do so, “there is the potential to seriously diminish and permanently harm America’s indispensable maritime forces.”
If America wants to maintain a worldwide presence and have the ability to interject in affairs across the globe, the Navy is indispensable.
Take for instance the Persian Gulf. Through this narrow body of water passes roughly 14 oil tankers per day. The Persian Gulf facilitates the transport of over 30 percent of the world’s oil. The U.S. keeps a close eye on that oil, and the surrounding countries. The U.S. Fifth Fleet is stationed out of Bahrain, a small nation in the Persian Gulf, where it can react quickly to any situation in the region. It also serves as a constant reminder that the U.S. is present, even when the nations are separated geographically.
The Fifth Fleet consists of two carriers, 20 ships, 103 strike aircraft and roughly 20,000 sailors and marines. This immense firepower can hold dramatic influence over foreign and domestic policies of the enemies of the United States.
Without such power, particularly in places such as the Persian Gulf, nations such as Syria and Iran wouldn’t fear immediate retaliation for their actions. The Navy gives the U.S. the ability to act quickly across the globe. That is real power.
But this power is rendered useless if those who hold it lack the will to use it. The U.S. seems determined to prove that it cannot wield the power at its disposal. When Syrian President Bashar Assad crossed Obama’s “red line” in Syria by using chemical weapons, the U.S. had numerous warships ready to launch an attack against Syria. Yet, nothing was done. The situation was an embarrassment for Washington, the Navy and the entire nation.
Combine America’s rapidly diminishing willpower with a crippling financial crisis that is forcing the downscaling of the nation’s navy, and you are left with a bleak picture of a failing superpower. This should come as no surprise to those who simply turn on the news and see the decline of the nation in both the foreign and domestic theaters. It should certainly come as no surprise to those who know the promises God outlines in the Bible.
Prophesying what would become of the children of Israel, of which the people of the U.S. are descendants (for proof, read The United States and Britain in Prophecy), God declared long ago, “But if you do not obey Me … if you despise My statutes … I also will do this to you: I will even appoint terror over you …. I will set My face against you, and you shall be defeated by your enemies. … I will break the pride of your power …” (Leviticus 26:14-19; New King James Version).
The downfall of the U.S. superpower is intricately tied to its economic decline. As the U.S. continues to disobey God and to fall further into moral degradation, it is burdened with curses such as the economic trials that are weakening the Navy. Watch as the influence of this once-great nation continues to wane under such curses.
If you want to gain an in-depth and detailed understanding of the United States’ role in Bible prophecy, be sure to read the aforementioned book, The United States and Britain in Prophecy. This book not only sheds light on the downfall of America, but also explains the incredible future that the American people, and all people on Earth, will have under the reign of Jesus Christ. The truth is that while the fall of the U.S. may be imminent, it is a sign that we are extremely close to the establishment of the peaceful and joyous government of God over this Earth!