Where are the Carriers? Meeting World Wide Commitments with a Reduced Aircraft Carrier Force

Abstract

The end of the Cold War has drawn national attention to the size and composition of the Navy. Eager to cash in on the 'Peace Dividend,' Congress appears intent on reducing the number of aircraft carrier battle groups (CVBG) and retiring all of the battleship battle groups (BBBG). This paper discusses an employment plan for as few as eight operational CVBGs and investigates meeting some commitments and emergencies with two new naval forces as substitutes for carrier and battleship battle groups. Recommendations are made for placing up to seven aircraft carriers in a rotating ready reserve, employing LHAs and LHDs as part of VSTOL strike carrier battle groups (VSBG), and creation of Tomahawk configured Surface Action Groups (SAG). Implementation of these recommendations is designed to provide the nation with eighteen battle and action groups while achieving an overall force reduction.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 11, 1991
Accession Number
ADA236366

Entities

People

  • John B. Read Iii

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerial Warfare
  • Air Power
  • Aircraft Carriers
  • Aircrafts
  • Cold War
  • Congress
  • Military Organizations
  • National Security
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Warfare
  • Navy
  • Oceans
  • Ships
  • United States
  • War
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Military Mobilization and Reserve Forces Studies.
  • Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.