Ten Reasons U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Of The Safest and Nearly Impossible To Sink Large-deck, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are the signature expression of American military power. They enable U.S. warfighters to sustain devastating air attacks against hostile forces on land or at sea for months at a time, precisely hitting hundreds of targets each day. And unlike some other combat systems, they don’t need access to bases ashore to accomplish their missions.
The fearsome power of America’s aircraft carriers makes them a potent tool for deterring aggressors without needing to rely on nuclear weapons. However, it is a common refrain among military analysts that our carriers are becoming vulnerable as long-range, anti-ship missiles proliferate around the world. For instance, Sydney Freedberg of Breaking Defense—one of the most respected journalists covering the military—observed in a March 12 budget analysis that “Beijing’s growing arsenal of precision-guided missiles seems increasingly able to find and cripple a thousand-foot-long flattop.”
No doubt about it, U.S. aircraft carriers are big. In addition to being over 1,000 feet long, they are as tall as a major office building (they have 25 decks) and their flight decks measure over four square acres. However, Navy leaders believe carriers are more survivable now than they were during the Cold War, and are steadily becoming less vulnerable to attack. When you consider all the provisions that have been made for protecting the ten carriers currently operating in the U.S. fleet, it is easy to conclude they might be the safest refuge to seek in a major war. Here are ten reasons why.
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