Is the U.S. Navy Getting Ready to Dump Its Aircraft Carriers? Rep. Elaine Luria, a former Navy nuclear-qualified surface warfare officer, contended that the Pentagon shouldn’t consider reducing the carrier force and that defense spending should be further boosted. The Pentagon is open to the possibility of reducing the aircraft carrier force as part of the fiscal year 2022 budget submission to Congress. According to the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI), in order to meet a proposed $704 billion to $708 billion topline figures for President Joe Biden’s first Department of Defense budget, the Office of the Secretary of Defense is currently seeking to cut costs by reducing the carrier force.