Braun, Young Working To Get Navy Ship Named After Senator Lugar

Thursday, June 20, 2019 at 9:44 AM

By Mike Perleberg @mikedup84

Richard Lugar represented Indiana in the U.S. Senate for 36 years.

Former Indiana U.S. Senator died April 28, 2019. Photo via Office of Senator Richard Lugar.

(Indianapolis, Ind.) - U.S. senators from Indiana are working to get a Navy ship named after the late Senator Richard Lugar.

Republicans Todd Young and Mike Braun announced the plan Wednesday. They aim to get the next unnamed Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer warship named after Lugar through an amendment that would apply to the National Defense Authorization Act.

“At a time when nuclear proliferation was civilization’s greatest threat, Senator Lugar helped save the world,” said Young. “It is fitting that the Navy honor his legacy by naming one of their warships after this dedicated statesman who helped change the course of history.”

Lugar died April 28 at the age of 87.

The former Indianapolis mayor served in the U.S. Navy from 1957 to 1960 before going on to act as a Senator from the State of Indiana for 36 years.

While in the Senate, he co-founded the Nunn-Lugar program, which led the deactivation of more than 7,600 nuclear warheads, millions of chemical munitions, and several thousand nuclear capable missiles. Today, the program continues to perform non-proliferation missions in more than 40 countries.

“Senator Richard Lugar is a towering figure in Hoosier history, one of the greatest statesmen ever to serve in the U.S. Senate and I’m proud to join Senator Young in renaming a Navy ship in honor of him,” said Braun.