New U.S. Navy Study Is To Examine The Future Of Next-Generation Aircraft Carriers

The $13 billion USS Ford under construction in Newport News, Va.

Breaking Defense: Beyond The Ford: Navy Studies Next-Gen Carriers EXCLUSIVE

The Future Carrier 2030 Task Force, which the service will announce next week, will study how carriers stack up against new generations of stealthy submarines and long-range precision weapons being fielded by China and Russia.

WASHINGTON: The Navy is launching a deep dive into the future of its aircraft carrier fleet, Breaking Defense has learned, even as the Secretary of Defense, dissatisfied with current Navy plans, conducts his own assessment. The two studies clearly show the deepening concern over how China’s growing might and the Pentagon’s eroding budgets could affect the iconic, expensive supercarriers.

The Future Carrier 2030 Task Force, which the service plans to announce next week, will take six months to study how carriers stack up against new generations of stealthy submarines and long-range precision weapons being fielded by China and Russia. It comes at a fraught moment time for the fleet, as Defense Secretary Mark Esper has taken personal ownership over the service’s force planning while publicly lambasting the Navy’s deployment model as broken.

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WNU Editor: Not surprised that the Secretary of Defence wants to examine the future of aircraft carriers. Advancements in the lethality of anti-access/area denial systems have made aircraft carriers vulnerable, and this will only increase with time.

Update: A good read .... U.S. Navy Aircraft Carriers Are Even More Vulnerable Than We Thought (National Interest).