Are Aircraft Carriers Becoming Obsolete?

The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, bottom, and the guided missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill, top, conduct a replenishment at sea with the Military Sealift Command fast combat support ship USNS Bridge in the Arabian Gulf, March 6, 2012. The Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing 17 are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class James R. Evans

Shipping Out: Are Aircraft Carriers Becoming Obsolete? -- Robert Haddick, Foreign Policy

For decades, aircraft carriers have been the tool-of-choice for crisis response. Policymakers in Washington and four-star commanders in the field invariably have turned to carriers when they needed to signal U.S. intentions, quickly reinforce military power, or provide decision-makers with options during a predicament. The Navy has responded to the enduring demands of these customers by making the aircraft carrier strike group the prime organizing feature of the Navy's surface and aviation forces, thereby drawing the biggest share of the service's manpower, budget, support, and training resources. And until recently, the Air Force seemed happy to cede this crisis-response role, because then it could focus on its own priorities.

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My Comment: Advances in missile technology and drones will probably change the dynamics and importance of aircraft carriers during times of conflict .... but as a projection of power in a non-war environment, nothing beats the appearance of an aircraft carrier in the horizon.