Reuters
National Interest: Navy Nightmare: America's Carriers Are in Trouble in the Next Great War
Here's why.
Hammes, however, is not in favor of scrapping America’s carriers right away, and instead advocates continuing to use the current carriers until they are retired (the Navy will still have seven carriers in use until 2050 and four scheduled for retirement as late as 2070). Still, Hammes stands by his analysis of the carriers’ vulnerability, noting their inability to effectively counter swarm tactics, their diminishing value as a military deterrent, and the difficulty of safely repairing a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier anywhere near major ports should one ever take any serious damage.
Former President Bill Clinton remarked in 1993 that, “when word of a crisis breaks out in Washington, it's no accident that the first question that comes to everyone's lips is: ‘where's the nearest carrier?’” President Clinton’s sentiment still rings true today.
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WNU Editor: An interesting proposal on what the US Navy should be investing in (and it is not aircraft carriers).
6 comments:
Aircraft carriers may have growing vulnerabilities, but mixing war weapons and civilian ships trades one weakness for another. The range problem goes away once the enemies distant weapons are neutralized. Midway improved the range problem for the US Navy. Might make more sense to rethink the structure of the battle group, how large it is, how spread out it is, what weapons are stationed at what locations. Situational awareness, plus new tactics should redefine the importance of traditional range.
This report is less about carriers and more an advertisement so companies like Lockheed can sell its wares to civilians and random merchants. Not only does this undermine sea dominance you would instill a new age of piracy.
What really bothers me is they complain carriers are vulnerable to swarm attacks but they don't state what the swarm in. Carrier fleets have massive massive untested stand of capabilities and personally the only way a carrier becomes obsolete is if the aircraft it is carrying does. Even then you look at what China is doing in SEA where they are ramming naval vessels with tankers and cargo ships.
Carriers are only obsolete if aliens exist and are invading with spacecraft.
Exactly, not to mention the protective screen
Hypersonic missiles are made to get past any AEGIS shield. I'm still stunned when you guys say stuff like the carriers are invulnerable. It's pure physics. If the incoming threat literally moves faster than anything you have to defend against it then the missile will hit it's target. It doesn't matter if you put two or three AEGIS systems on board. The hypersonic missile slams down from space at ungodly speed while the radar operator can see it the entire time without being able to do anything about it. If these missile shields were actually as effective as their marketing departments insist they are then Israel wouldn't be perpetually developing the one that will finally work.
During the gulf war when it was imperative to keep Israel out of the conflict Raytheon and Bush simply lied about the Patriot's effectiveness. And Israelis called them out on their bullshit because they were the ones on the receiving end of Saddam's sloppy scuds, and they could point to a hell of a lot more blast sites than the single one that the US said got through. Yes these systems have come a long way since the 80's and they do show some level of success, but Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad still seem to have little problem getting the odd homemade bottle rocket through three or four active shields systems whenever conflict breaks out with Israel. The most advanced multi-layered system stands no chance against the newest generation of hypersonics. I don't know how to impress upon you how wide the gap is that needs to be overcome before the carriers can be considered invulnerable against China and Russia again.
Quite right Fusion. Though all things have their time they also pass, but imitation IS the most sincere form of flattery.
Carriers are used for policing hemispheres of influence and keeping the vassals in line. That is what the Chinese are pursuing with their carrier program. You will not see them parked off the coast of an enemy who can actually hit back. Rather than serving the purpose they did against the Japanese in WW2, they are now a tool to be used against a lesser foe. Don't get me wrong, they're spectacularly effective at what they do but in a war against a real enemy both sides will lose any carrier that's within missile range.
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