Navy chief: US needs to keep 11 aircraft carriers

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus on Wednesday said the U.S. needs to have a fleet of 11 aircraft carriers, siding with lawmakers who have sought to save the USS George Washington from budget cuts.

"We need 11 to have the constant presence that we need. We need 11 to get them into a more regular cycle of maintenance and training," he told reporters at a breakfast.

"There's a law that we got to have 11 carriers. It's like gravity — it's not just a good idea, it's the law. So that's the basis you have to go on," Mabus added.

Read more