The Nation - News from Feb. 27, 1986

The chairman of a House subcommittee overseeing military facilities questioned whether the Navy’s plan to base its expanding fleet in costly new home ports is justified in an era of fiscal austerity. Rep. Ronald V. Dellums (D-Calif.) said at a meeting of the Armed Services’ subcommittee on military installations that the home port program would come under scrutiny at a time when Congress has to choose between cuts in domestic programs and increases in defense. The Navy now bases many of its ships in San Diego, Charleston, S.C., and Norfolk, Va. But as the fleet grows to a projected 600 ships, the service has announced plans to berth ships in new facilities on Staten Island and the Gulf and West coasts.