(Click To Enlarge)A landing craft air cushion conducts operations from the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima in the Middle East, Oct. 18, 2008. The USS Iwo Jima is deployed as part of the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group supporting maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Chad R. Erdmann
U.S. Navy Drafting 'Naval Operational Concept'
-- Defense News
-- Defense News
Deploying U.S. naval forces must be more flexible, able to split up and re-form in different combinations as situations require. The fleet still needs 11 aircraft carriers to meet its missions but more amphibious ships are required to support new missions. The number of formal and informal maritime partnerships will continue to grow. Even when mine-hunting Littoral Combat Ships come into service, a gap will remain in the Navy's ability to combat the undersea threat. Ballistic missile defense is increasingly seen as a basic naval capability.
Those are some of the issues addressed in a working draft of the Naval Operations Concept (NOC) 2008, another in a series of documents meant to describe how, when and where U.S. naval forces will prevent conflict and prevail in war.
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My Comment: When President Reagan was President, a 15 carrier task group was the minimum that was required. Now it is 11. What has changed?