Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 114 Part 3.djvu/294

 114 STAT. 1654A-252 PUBLIC LAW 106-398 —APPENDIX any vessel covered by the contract available to the Secretary, fully crewed and ready for sea, at any time at any port determined by the Secretary, and for whatever duration the Secretary determines necessary."; (2) by adding at the end of paragraph (2) the following new subparagraph: "(E) Payments of such sums as the Government would otherwise expend, if the vessel were placed in the Ready Reserve Fleet, for maintaining the vessel in the status designated as 'ROS-4 status' in the Ready Reserve Fleet for 25 years."; and (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: "(6) The head of an agency may not enter into a contract under paragraph (1) that would provide for payments to the contractor as authorized in paragraph (2)(E) until notice of the proposed contract is submitted to the congressional defense committees and a period of 90 days has elapsed.". SEC. 1012. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE NAMING OF THE CVN-77 AIR- CRAFT CARRIER. (a) FINDINGS. —Congress makes the following findings: (1) Over the last three decades Congress has authorized and appropriated funds for a total of 10 Nimitz class aircraft carriers. (2) The last vessel in the Nimitz class of aircraft carriers, CVN-77, is currently under construction and will be delivered in 2008. (3) The first nine vessels in this class bear the following proud names: (A) U.S.S. Nimitz (CVN-68). (B) U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69). (C) U.S.S. Carl Vinson (CVN-70). (D) U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). (E) U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). (F) U.S.S. George Washington (CVN-73). (G) U.S.S. John C. Stennis (CVN-74). (H) U.S.S. Harry S. Truman (CVN-75). (I) U.S.S. Ronald Reagan (CVN-76). (4) It is appropriate for Congress to recommend to the President, as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, an appropriate name for the final vessel in the Nimitz class of aircraft carriers. (5) Over the last 25 years the vessels in the Nimitz class of aircraft carriers have served as one of the principal means of United States diplomacy and as one of the principal means for the defense of the United States and its allies aroimd the world. (6) The name bestowed upon the aircraft carrier CVN- 77 should embody the American spirit and provide a lasting symbol of the American commitment to freedom. (7) The name "Lexington" has been a symbol of freedom from the first battle of the American Revolution. (8) The two aircraft carriers previously named U.S.S. Lexington (the CV-2 and the CV-16) served the Nation for 64 years, served in World War II, and earned a total of 13 battle stars.

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