Would Light Carriers Make The US Navy Weaker?

USS America, one option for developing a light carrier. This is no substitute for a large-deck, nuclear-powered supercarrier. WIKIPEDIA 

Loren Thompson, Forbes: Why Esper’s Call For Light Carriers Would Make The U.S. Navy Weaker 

On October 6, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper laid out his vision of what the U.S. Navy’s future fleet should look like. Called Battleforce 2045, it proposed big increases in the number of attack submarines, surface combatants and amphibious warships, combined with an embrace of unmanned vessels aimed at getting the size of the fleet above 500 ships by mid-century. 

However, Esper singled out one category of warships for potential cuts: large-deck, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. After acknowledging that “nuclear powered carriers will remain our most visible deterrent,” the defense secretary went on to say that “we continue to examine options for light carriers that support short takeoff or vertical landing aircraft.” 

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WNU Editor: There are indeed many advantages to having large aircraft carriers in your fleet. But not all situations will need a large aircraft carrier being deployed. A smaller aircraft carrier could be just as good.

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