§8678a Limitation on decommissioning or inactivating a battle force ship before the end of expected service life

Summary

The Navy must not retire or take a battle force ship out of service before it reaches its expected service life. The Secretary of the Navy can make an exception only if they send a written certification to the congressional defense committees within three days after the President files the budget documents under 31 U.S.C. 1105(a) for that fiscal year, and at least 30 days have passed after the National Defense Authorization Act for that year becomes law. The certification must say that several alternatives were not feasible: keeping the ship in reduced operating status, keeping it with reduced capability, using it as a Navy Reserve unit, or transferring it to the Coast Guard; and it must say the ship is not required by the most recent national defense strategy. The certification must explain the options considered and the reasons for those conclusions. It must be filed unclassified but can include a classified annex. A battle force ship means a commissioned U.S. warship or other Navy ship that directly helps combat or support missions. Expected service life means the number of years the ship is expected to serve.