By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Oct 22, 2007 8:34:26 EDT
The Navy wants to figure out a way to put an aircraft carrier to sea with a crew of fewer than 1,000 sailors.
Huh? Or better, how?
In an era when manpower costs devour 60 percent of annual Navy budgets, the service has been hard pressed not only to reduce its end strength so it can afford the ships and aircraft it wants, but to pare down crew sizes while making the most of each sailor.
The manning goals for future Navy warships are far below that of current surface combatants, with just 75 sailors expected to be aboard the Littoral Combat Ship and fewer than 150 crew members aboard the Zumwalt-class destroyers. Future submarine crews also are being optimized.
But when it comes to the next-generation aircraft carrier, the cuts may be more dramatic.
More at http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/10/navy_optimalmanning_071019w/
