Nuclear Cruisers

The Defense bill recently passed by Congress, which President Bush has questionably claimed to have pocket vetoed (despite the fact that Congress was still in pro forma session), mandates that the next generation of U.S. Navy cruisers (CG-21) projected to be about 14,000 tons, be nuclear powered. It isn't clear that the Navy has a strong objection to this mandate, although its fate, like the rest of the defense funding bill, is unclear.