Navy Shortage?

ABC News (WTEV Jacksonville) ^ | 8/10/03 | Andrea Chang

[HighRoadToChina]

BUMP!

[blam]

"The United States has more carriers by far than anyone else in the world. Britain has three, and Russia, France, Spain, India, Italy, Brazil and Thailand have one. "

I question this statement. Brazil and Thailand have carriers?

[LibKill]

The more carriers the better.

The bigger the Navy the better.

Force projection.

[LibWhacker]

I think I remember Brazil buying an old British carrier . . .

[squidly]

The war after the Cold War "is a come as you are party. It will be a short war," he said. "It'll be over before we build anything new."

That has to be one of the stupidest sentences I have ever read. Yes it is a "come as you are party", that's why we need to build stuff now.

Otherwise, this is preaching to the choir. I continue to say we need to build the USN back up to 450+ ships. Less butter, more guns.

[squidly]

I question this statement. Brazil and Thailand have carriers?

They are relatively small ships, carry maybe 20 aircraft, not big monster carriers like our's.

[LibWhacker]

Actually, it looks like it came from France, lol. Good luck, Brazil!

[FreedomCalls]

Who needs an aircraft carrier when you have this?

[Drew68]

Thanks for the post.

I'm leaving for RTC at Great Lakes, IL in exactly eight days. Then I'm off to Pensacola, FL for A-School (I'm going to be an AO or Aviation Ordnanceman).

I enlisted a little late in life (I'm in my early 30s) but decided that it was something I really wanted to do and wish I had done earlier (plus, I couldn't find a job).

I'm nervous and anxious about it. Signed up for five years. I think it is going to be fun.

[blam]

"They are relatively small ships, carry maybe 20 aircraft, not big monster carriers like our's."

Thanks, learn something every day.

[sgtbono2002]

I sure am no expert but I would like to see the US start building a few smaller carriers. The thought of 6,000 men on a 6 billion dollar ship hit by a missile kind of bothers me. Maybe the big ships are putting too many eggs in the one basket? Besides building the huge ships we need to recruit the 6,000 folks to man it.

[LibKill]

Thank you for your service to our country.

[LibWhacker]

Hey, thanks for your service, Drew. Way to go! You'll do fine. Yes, it will be fun, and a little hard at times. But you'll make some of the best friends you'll ever have in your life. That alone is worth it, I think. Keep your nose clean, don't complain and do your best. They'll love you if that's all you do. Drop us a line once and while, okay? Cheers!

[Pukin Dog]

The B-2 is a great airplane, but it is not a platform for power projection. An aircraft carrier is portable United States foreign policy. The site of a carrier off the coast of an enemy nation is enough for most to moderate their activities. The B-2 is a weapon for use after foreign policy has failed.

A carrier can maintain sustained operations without additional support outside it's battlegroup. The difference is apples and oranges. A carrier is a strategic weapon, the B-2 is a tactical weapon.

[dufekin]

Less butter, more guns.

Wrong. We need the guns to defend our butter. More guns, more butter. Fewer guns, no butter. Yes, we can have both butter and guns; we're that big to have such an efficient, diversified economy. But if we can't produce butter, then the terrorists surely will have won. We need the guns to ensure that the terrorists don't win.

[Drew68]

Thank you for your service to our country.

Thank You. This is the first time in my life that I've read this comment that it has been directed towards me. It gave me a warm feeling.

My decision for enlisting was far more than "I needed a job" (it is nice that the Navy was hiring). I always wished that I had done it earlier but I grasped the reality that my window of opportunity was closing quickly.

In other words, "now or never." I have maturity, experience and leadership on my side and I'm sure the Navy appreciates this. Plus, it is nice to be able to serve this country that I love dearly.

[Pukin Dog]

The US could really use a few bigger, faster and more powerful carriers than we have today. A smaller carrier only means reduced capability.

There is practically no danger of a carrier falling victim to a missile from an enemy nation or from terrorism. Nothing is better defended then a carrier battle group.

[Drew68]

Drop us a line once and while, okay? Cheers!

Absolutely! (Might not be for a while though.)

[The Iguana]

We have twelve "small" carriers, as a matter of fact. 7 Wasp class amphibious assault carriers and 5 Tarawa class amphibious assault carriers. Another Wasp class ship is due for commissioning in 2004. They carry a mix of Harriers, Sea Stallions, Sea Knight, Hueys and Supercobras.

Interestingly, even our "small" carriers are bigger than just about anyone's else.