Carrier killers, long deployments and floating airfields: Why aircraft carriers still matter
The US Navy is rotating aircraft carriers in the Middle East, highlighting the strategic importance of these vessels in power projection. The article discusses the historical and tactical role of carriers as mobile airfields in modern military operations.
Why it matters
Aircraft carriers are central to US foreign policy and global military strategy, acting as the primary tool for rapid response and deterrence.
As the conflict in West Asia nears the sixth-month mark, the US is sending the aircraft carrier USS George Washington to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been conducting operations against Iran and enforcing the blockade. This is the second carrier to have been pulled from the theatre by the Pentagon from the conflict. Earlier, the US Navy had pulled out the USS Gerald R Ford, it newest carrier, out of the fight. The Ford had been on deployment out at sea for 326 days, taking part in the operation to capture Maduro from Venezuela and then taking part in the operations against Iran. The USS Lincoln, too, has been deployed in the theatre for over eight months.These have been some of the longest deployments of aircraft carriers after the Vietnam War, during which the USS Midway was out at sea for 332 days.
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