Sizing Up America’s Aircraft Carriers of the Future
April 25, 2017 | Will Edwards
After weeks of uncertainty regarding its mission, the American aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson finally arrived in waters off the Korean Peninsula and began joint military exercises with Japan Sunday. In response, a state-run North Korean news agency promised to attack the ship if provoked, saying, "The world would clearly see how the US' rash, arrogant aircraft carriers turn into a lump of scrap metal and gets buried at sea, and how the country vanishes from the Earth." As one of America’s most potent symbols of power and global reach, aircraft carriers can display resolve to its allies and instill dread in its enemies, but some wonder whether its days of superiority are numbered.
For decades, the U.S. Navy has relied on the large-deck nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to project U.S. power overseas, though high cost and vulnerability have prompted some experts to consider a shift to smaller, conventionally-powered carriers.
https://www.thecipherbrief.com/article/north-america/sizing-americas-aircraft-carriers-future-1091
