US Department of Defense is considering reduction of the aircraft carrier force as part of the 2022 fiscal budget review, according to a USNI News report.
The option is being mulled to meet the topline for the defense budget set by the Biden administration. The Office of the Secretary of Defense is considering how it could reduce the spending by cutting the carrier force, two sources familiar with the matter told the outlet.
The budget topline has not been officially announced, as it was suggested by Politico and Bloomberg that it will vary between $704 and $708 billion. The next fiscal year is to start on 1 October.
According to the report, the suggestion made by the Trump administration to take USS Harry S. Truman out of inventory is also under consideration, along with the entire scope of the shipbuilding budget being under scrutiny.
Trump Cabinet suggested retiring USS Harry S. Truman back in 2019, but then backtracked on the proposal, with then-Vice President Mike Pence saying that the vessel "is going to be giving ‘em hell for many more years to come."