USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) transits the Pacific Ocean while underway in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations on Aug. 4, 2018. US Navy Photo
USNI News: U.S. Aircraft Carrier Deployments at 25 Year Low as Navy Struggles to Reset Force
THE PENTAGON – Aircraft carriers – the most visible tools of U.S. military power – are spending more time in maintenance and at home even as the Pentagon has declared it’s entered a new era of competition with China and Russia.
According to a USNI News analysis of more than 50 years of carrier air wing deployments over the last 15 months, the Navy has seen the lowest number of carrier strike groups underway since 1992, the year following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
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WNU Editor: A sobering read.
This is a consequence of the Obama years. It takes a long time for the penny pinching effects to flow thru to carrier readiness. Thank god for trump.
ReplyDeleteWell to be fair, military spending is insanely high and filled with corruption and inefficiencies. Having said that, I agree. It was a strategic mistake - and by announcing a pivot to Asia without backing it up financially or militarily, Obama emboldened China. Emboldened Iran. Emboldened Syria with the Red line debacle. He was -not- a good president foreign policy wise, not at all. But the press and most foreign nations loved him and the money he shelled out to them. Big surprise. Trump actually tries to accomplish something on the big foreign policy issues and the left wing media screams he's a tyranny, a dictator, mentally unfit. Right. 2 years, 24/7 negative coverage for Trump. 8 years positive coverage for Obama. And Obama had an unprecedented number of gag orders on the press. That's what dictators actually do - silence the press. But they looooooved him
DeleteCorruption? Don't see much of that %-wise
ReplyDeleteShow me a large organization anywhere in the world that does not have inefficiencies.
As all the tech pretty much has been stolen, things will be won by will power and efficiencies.
So the DoD, Congress, and the American people have to step up because door #2 is not so good.
Being big has problems. Study cancer, elephants and zombie genes.
Things are getting better. Are they getting better fast enough is the question. Information age has not made thorough penetration. We are 10 or 15 years behind what you think we would be.
Carrier deployments will be less often but longer
ReplyDeletehttps://pilotonline.com/news/military/article_121d52de-52ed-55d8-97d4-f34d4b739ae0.html
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9316/index1.html