U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe Visits Norfolk Navy Area

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe, senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, visited the Norfolk Naval area on Friday.

During his visit, Inhofe met over breakfast with sailors from Oklahoma who are serving aboard the carriers USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). He then received briefings from the U.S. Navy, to include an update on the Lincoln's refueling and complex overhaul progress and the construction of the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79).

Inhofe called for Washington to provide the necessary funding for the Navy to maintain at a minimum 11 carriers, which is currently required by law but has been given a waiver by Congress in recent years.

He closed the day by touring an aircraft carrier construction facility at Newport News Shipbuilding.