larryV

Carriers are the centerpiece of the modern US Navy. In fact, all major naval operations whether peacetime or wartime exercises are carried out by what are called Carrier Battle Groups. Carrier battlegroups are important to maintain air superiority/support in remote regions of the world. Call it "portable military force". It usually consists of a Carrier, 2 guided missle cruisers, 2 destroyers, 2 attack submarines, a frigate, and a few supply ships. The frigate usually has an anti-submarine unit and the carrier has anti-submarine aircraft. It is virtually impossible for another military or terrorist power other than our own to get a torpedo or guided missile past the CBG's defenses to sink the carrier. It will around for a while and more carriers are slated for production... even larger than the ones you see today.

SameerP

which are custom built around protecting the carrier from air, sea and submerged threats. Also, thanks to the range of aircraft, carriers can operate in blue waters and avoid the coast.

With the fall of the USSR, there are only really three blue water navies in the world: England, France and India. These navies are not even worth a single US carrier task force (for instance, the Indian Navy fields two carriers, the Vikraat and the Virant, they are Harrier jumpjet carriers. England and France use harrier jump-jet carriers as well). No one else uses fixed wing carriers in this world...save us.

As a tool for the strategic projection of power, i think carriers have a long future ahead of them. With their own air cover, AEGIS cruiser/destroyers (additional air cover), mobile Redeyes/Hawkeyes, and significant anti-sub support, they are self contained military powers (including the marines compliments tasked to each task force with their own compliment of close support non-fixed wing aircraft)

But the cost is staggering, the carrier alone costs ~3billion, id estimate the task force would costs 5-9 billion, in construction cost alone. I belive we have 16 carrier task forces, of CV (carrier conventional) and CVN (carrier nuclear). My favorite is the USS Enterprise CVN-65.

During the cold war, strategists postulated that if a hot war developed, the Soviets could have used tactical nuke strikes against carrier task forces...but now even they couldn't do this (let alone a massive badger rush of yore)

Carriers lets us strike hard, strike effectively, and not be hit back. They are the absolure incarnation of the Eagle we cherish as our symbol. In hours, we can deliver stupendous military firepower onto any patch of terra... and do so with little or no loss of life.

God bless our armed forces, they will do us proud in the months ahead of us, that much i am certain.

Cheers

Wir fahr'n auf der Autobahn

The ability to control a few hundred miles of water with sea and air power is what a CBG (Carrier Battle Group) buys you. Its the "big stick" so to speak in policying.

What really moved to the waters of new york according to the press is 2 carriers. Tranlation: 2 Carrier Battle Groups, a carrier is never alone.

That translates to roughly 2 carriers and about 5 ships each. Most likely 2 Ticonderoga class AEGIS cruisers, 2 or 3 Arleigh Burke AEGIS destroyers, a Spruance Anti-sub destroyer, and the rest Perry class frigates and maybe an LA class attack sub.