USS Makin Island

Big picture.
You're looking at $2.5 billion in defense spending, plus ongoing operating costs of course. It's a green ship, which saves money on fuel, so there's that. 1 of 8 we operate in the Wasp class, it's one of the largest amphibious warfare vessels in the world.

In the overall scheme of things though, what's a couple billion here and there? Not much to those who plan to spend a whole lot more. A little perspective from the New York Times:

Instead of proposing sensible and necessary reductions, (Romney and Ryan) would throw more money at a Pentagon that has had a blank check for more than a decade. The base budget for 2013 — not including war-related costs — is projected at $525 billion, up roughly 34 percent from 2001. By 2022, Mr. Romney’s plan would increase annual spending to $986 billion, according to an analysis by Travis Sharp of the Center for a New American Security.

The centerpiece of Mr. Romney’s proposal is a promise to spend at least 4 percent of gross domestic product on military personnel, procurement, operations and maintenance, and research and development. That would add as much as $2.3 trillion to the defense budget over 10 years from projected 2013 spending levels, according to Mr. Sharp’s analysis.

It's a pretty ship.

Question is: How many more do we really need?

Something to think about when you cast that ballot.