On Thursday, January 10, 2013, Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter issued a memorandum outlining steps the Pentagon is taking in response to the budget uncertainty and challenges as a result of operating under a continuing resolution and the growing threat of sequestration.
Most alarmingly, the memo called for cancelations of ship depot maintenance availabilities for the third and fourth quarters of fiscal year 2013 which threatens the nation's defense readiness and the capability of the U.S. Navy to carry out its principal missions.