[RitchieAprile]

[ClearCase_guy]

I wonder if we’ve decided that the enemy has ship-killing technology which makes modern aircraft carriers about as vulnerable as battleships in WWII?

I love battleships. I love aircraft carriers. But no weapon system lasts forever and if the costs outweigh the benefits, it might be time for these to fade away.

[blackdog]

Not everyone gets to know everything. Milutary strategy and long range planning is based on technology and your potential enemies strengths and weaknesses.

The military is technology. That technology has to not be public information. Not even Congress should be trusted with it.

[PeterPrinciple]

“It simply does not make economic sense.”

---

Probably.Decisions are tough sometimes. You see the right ones in the rear view mirror.

How does the song go?

You can’t always get
What you want
You can’t always get
What you want
No you can’t always get
What you want
But if you try sometimes
Well you might find
You get what you need

[Ouderkirk]

The obvious question not being asked...

Is a new Aircraft Carrier significantly better than an overhauled 25 year old one?

[PeterPrinciple]

when the shipyard signed a two-carrier contract with the Navy.

---

So, are there still two new carriers on the agenda?

[mewzilla]

If something breaks out on the world, there are far faster, far, far less expensive ways to project power than carriers.

[Lurker]

Carriers are the walking dead of the US Navy.

L

[Psalm 73]

Subtracting a carrier will add increased operating stress on the remaining ones, no?
Like aircraft, the fewer you have, the more missions they must run on life-limited airframes.

[Don Corleone]

We need a wall more than we need another floating runway.

[reed13k]

Sounds to me as though they want to mothball an older ship in favor of leap frogging to a newer ship with more capabilities. Longer term investment with some short term savings and pain.

[georgiarat]

The carriers are obsolete and almost impossible to protect with today’s growing tecnnological based weaponry.

This part of Virginia was once sold Conservative. Today it is slightly Democrat and becoming more Democrat each election cycle.

[crz]

I think it was the Swedes who proved how long a carrier would last in a war.

IMHO, they should be looking more to subs and advanced tech with them. Long range advanced aircraft also-although I believe that the Phoenix lights incident proved that the advanced aircraft are already here.

[Darteaus94025]

How the Navy works the procurement system for more money!

[Reno89519]

Ignore the LOCAL political hacks, what is best for the Navy and out national security? Maybe there are other reasons for moth-balling an over-priced floating target?

[minnesota_bound]

I think this is a ploy for more money.

[AFret.]

“Scratch one flattop!”

(Naval Aviator Robert Dixon, Battle of the Coral Sea).

[central_va]

Most civilians don’t realize that the Navy is unique in that most warships above frigate/littoral size are designed to be damaged and repaired over and over. An CVN can be significantly damaged and repaired and returned to service. Ships are NOT throw away. This is the extreme example but the BB California was sunk at Pearl Harbor and was returned to service

[PIF]

Now comes word that the Ford may not be deployable for a long time ...There seems to be major trouble with its steam boilers - there was, during a trial run, an "engineering casualty".

U.S. Navy's Troubled New Aircraft Carrier Delayed Again As Propulsion Issues Arise
Issues keep piling up for the Ford while three other ships in the class are now under contract and the Navy looks to retire the Truman early.
By Tyler Rogoway March 26, 2019