Carrier Aviation's Applicability in the New World Order
Abstract
The United States' emerging national security strategy is evolving in an environment dominated by the uncertainties of the New World Order and a national fiscal consensus that focus's on the domestic well-being of the nation. This environment has resulted in a reduced aircraft carrier force structure that no longer provides for the capability to maintain a traditional naval presence that has served as the nation's linchpin of maintaining forward presence and crisis response. Dwarfing this significant development is a concurrent lack of aircraft procurement, that fails to ensure a sufficient number of aircraft are available to fill the flight decks of a reduced aircraft carrier force structure, nor provides for the development or introduction of a modernized follow-on tactical aircraft to replace this dwindling number of aircraft anytime within the foreseeable future. Naval planners need to recognize the indisputable changes that will begin to degrade the contributions of carrier aviation in the next ten years. An alternative force structure involving other organic naval components including Surface Actions Groups, and Amphibious Readiness Groups must be incorporated to complement or supplement carrier forces in meeting the national security interests of the nation. A further emphasis must be placed on the sharing of responsibility for maintaining regional stability with those nations who possess both a vested interest and a credible military capability that will serve to mitigate the necessity for maintaining and deploying the traditional level of aircraft carrier presence, that the current carrier force structure no longer provides.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA526312
Entities
People
- R. R. Garcia
Organizations
- Marine Corps War College