Widger,
I don't doubt that there have been contracts signed. But all contracts have a break clause and as you say, those 10,000 jobs aren't free. And, as much as one hates to say it, it would be cheaper to have these people on the dole than to pay them professional rates.
More importantly, however, is the Terms of Business Agreement that sets up the amount of work that BAES are guaranteed - and I suspect that this and the contractual position will drive the decisions on CVF. As I've said on numerous posts before, I am not anti-CVF per se, and I'd welcome the chance to serve aboard either one, but I just don't see that they are the right choice with the cuts coming: for my Dark Blue friends, I'd much rather have a larger SSN / FF / DD force than the carriers. IMHO, you only buy the carriers when they're affordable - and right now, they're not.
S41