[2] The design of Fallujah is based on USS Makin Island, which is an improved version of the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship.

[4] The island structure will also be modified to free up more room on the flight deck to accommodate maintenance of V-22s, compensating for some of the lost aircraft hangar space.

It is an honor for me for our nation to memorialize the Marines, the soldiers and coalition forces that fought valiantly and those who sacrificed their lives during both battles of Fallujah".

"[2] Journalist Peter Maass criticized the choice of naming, saying, "The announcement noted that more than 100 U.S. and allied soldiers died in Fallujah but said nothing about the far larger toll of Iraqi civilians killed, the flattening of swathes of the city through extensive bombings, the apparent war crimes by U.S. forces, the environmental impact and the health impacts on civilians that continue to this day — and the inconvenient fact that U.S. forces were unable to keep their hold on Fallujah for very long.

"[8] The Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a statement, "There must be a better name for this ship — one that does not evoke horrific scenes from any illegal, violent and unjust war.