But what would happen if the United States no longer deployed nuclear-powered aircraft carriers? The answer is chilling and compelling. Without a robust fleet of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, the United States would no longer be able to deploy a credible deterrent capability to contested regions around the world. Without the presence of American carriers, authoritarian rulers, terrorist organizations, and non-state actors would run amuck. This is particularly evident today in the Middle East.
The aircraft carrier has been the “crown jewel” of any fleet since the advent of naval aviation. Naval innovators quickly realized that the carrier did not make sense as a screening vessel for battleships—it belonged at the center of the fleet! Carrier aviation ruled the seas during World War Two, waging great battles like Midway that turned the tide of the war. It was carrier aviation that provided close air support to Marines in the deadly island campaign as the United States Navy and Marine Corps closed in on the Japanese mainland.
Since World War Two, the carrier has provided essential support from the sea to American troops ashore in every conflict—from Korea to Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan and down to the present day. The aircraft carrier provides combatant commanders with 4.5-acre of sovereign U.S. territory that can put dozens of aircraft in enemy skies anywhere in the world without having to depend on foreign basing.
Most recently, the benefits of carrier air power have been demonstrated daily in the Red Sea and Mediterranean. Since the brutal and unprovoked attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7th of last year, the United States has responded visibly and forcefully to prevent the proliferation of the conflict into neighboring Lebanon or the broader Middle East. Almost immediately, the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (CSG) was on station in the Eastern Mediterranean. This was the first regular deployment for the first-in-class warship, proving the value of the cutting-edge innovations built into the Ford class.
When the Houthis began their campaign to blockade the Red Sea in October 2023, units from deployed carrier strike groups were first on the scene, putting themselves in between Houthi missiles and attack drones and defenseless civilian shipping.
While Ford remained in the Mediterranean to deter the spillover of Russian aggression into Western Europe and to respond if needed to another attack on Israel, she was joined by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower CSG in the Middle East. When the Ford returned home last December, IKE and her escorts maintained a carrier presence in the Middle East and in the Mediterranean. IKE was on station during Iran’s massive April 2024 missile attack against Israel. Ninety-nine percent of the Iranian missiles were interdicted or destroyed before reaching their targets in Israel by a combination of Israeli efforts and U.S. assistance—assistance that was only possible because of the carrier strike group’s presence. The day after the strike, Iran stood down.
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower finally returned to her homeport of Norfolk, Virginia on July 14th, 2024 after two deployment extensions and nine months in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. The carrier launched almost 14,000 sorties and conducted 10,000 arrested landings. IKE logged 31,500 flight hours and burned 23 million gallons of JP-5 jet fuel. Overall, the strike group expended 60 air-to-air missiles and 420 air-to-surface weapons as well as 180 missiles fired from the vertical launchers of its surface ships. Rear Admiral Kavon “Hak” Hakimzadeh, the strike group’s commander, chronicled the Eisenhower CSG’s accomplishments in a recent article: “Reflections on the USS Eisenhower Strike Group’s Red Sea Deployment”. Hak also joined CMS for our monthly podcast, Maritime Nation, to talk about his ships, his Sailors, and their mission in the Red Sea.
Since IKE’s return home, the USS Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group has been in the Gulf of Oman providing support to the Commander, Central Command. On July 31st, Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a covert operation while attending the inauguration ceremony for the new Iranian President. Iran vowed swift and lethal retaliation against Israel. As a precautionary measure, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin dispatched another aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, to the region. Based on the Pentagon’s pattern of decision making, presumably land-based air is not enough to cover down on the high threat areas during the ongoing crisis.
The most interesting fact about this decision is that the U.S. has elected to run the risk of having zero carrier presence in the Western Pacific in order to quell the threat of escalating violence in the Middle East. It is a testament to the aircraft carrier’s versatility—and unmatched utility to combatant commanders—that CSGs can transition seamlessly from deterring China and reassuring our allies in the Pacific one month to shooting down drones and missiles in the Red Sea the next. Few other assets in the American military arsenal besides nuclear-powered submarines offer the same combination of flexibility and potency…much less while being able to deploy anywhere in the world!
Although Iran vowed to execute another major strike on Israel after Haniyeh’s assassination, nothing has happened to date. Speculation continues that Iran will eventually retaliate against Israel for the embarrassing killing of the Hamas political leader on Iranian soil, the presence of two American Carrier Strike Groups in the region has the Iranian leadership’s attention. If there were no American aircraft carriers in the theater right now, what would deter the Iranians from striking? If Iranian leaders were unimpeded, would they coordinate attacks on Israel with other members of the Axis of Resistance—Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other terrorist factions? If so, would this lead to a full-blown war in the Middle East? Perhaps, but American naval presence has changed the calculus for the leaders of Iran and the Axis of Resistance. All the more reason to stay strong, stay vigilant, and keep America’s aircraft carriers ready and engaged.
The costs of avoiding a war in the Middle East far outweigh the cost of carrier operations on a day-to-day basis. The same can be said of the Indo-Pacific or Atlantic theaters. Even though those seas remain quiescent for now, danger lurks in the offing. If conflict breaks out in either of those places, you can bet that the first thing the President and Secretary of Defense will ask is: “where are the carriers?”
Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (ret.), Dean
The views expressed in this piece are the sole opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Center for Maritime Strategy or other institutions listed.
Center for Maritime Strategy
By Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (Ret.)
The United States Navy operates around the globe all day, every day. However, there are still those who question the raison d’etre of the 12 aircraft carriers that form the backbone of the strike groups that deploy to hot spots like the Red Sea whenever a crisis arises. Some opine that they are too expensive; others that they are now obsolete in the face of the long-range strike capabilities fielded by our adversaries.
But what would happen if the United States no longer deployed nuclear-powered aircraft carriers? The answer is chilling and compelling. Without a robust fleet of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, the United States would no longer be able to deploy a credible deterrent capability to contested regions around the world. Without the presence of American carriers, authoritarian rulers, terrorist organizations, and non-state actors would run amuck. This is particularly evident today in the Middle East.
The aircraft carrier has been the “crown jewel” of any fleet since the advent of naval aviation. Naval innovators quickly realized that the carrier did not make sense as a screening vessel for battleships—it belonged at the center of the fleet! Carrier aviation ruled the seas during World War Two, waging great battles like Midway that turned the tide of the war. It was carrier aviation that provided close air support to Marines in the deadly island campaign as the United States Navy and Marine Corps closed in on the Japanese mainland.
Since World War Two, the carrier has provided essential support from the sea to American troops ashore in every conflict—from Korea to Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan and down to the present day. The aircraft carrier provides combatant commanders with 4.5-acre of sovereign U.S. territory that can put dozens of aircraft in enemy skies anywhere in the world without having to depend on foreign basing.
Most recently, the benefits of carrier air power have been demonstrated daily in the Red Sea and Mediterranean. Since the brutal and unprovoked attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7th of last year, the United States has responded visibly and forcefully to prevent the proliferation of the conflict into neighboring Lebanon or the broader Middle East. Almost immediately, the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (CSG) was on station in the Eastern Mediterranean. This was the first regular deployment for the first-in-class warship, proving the value of the cutting-edge innovations built into the Ford class.
When the Houthis began their campaign to blockade the Red Sea in October 2023, units from deployed carrier strike groups were first on the scene, putting themselves in between Houthi missiles and attack drones and defenseless civilian shipping.
While Ford remained in the Mediterranean to deter the spillover of Russian aggression into Western Europe and to respond if needed to another attack on Israel, she was joined by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower CSG in the Middle East. When the Ford returned home last December, IKE and her escorts maintained a carrier presence in the Middle East and in the Mediterranean. IKE was on station during Iran’s massive April 2024 missile attack against Israel. Ninety-nine percent of the Iranian missiles were interdicted or destroyed before reaching their targets in Israel by a combination of Israeli efforts and U.S. assistance—assistance that was only possible because of the carrier strike group’s presence. The day after the strike, Iran stood down.
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower finally returned to her homeport of Norfolk, Virginia on July 14th, 2024 after two deployment extensions and nine months in the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. The carrier launched almost 14,000 sorties and conducted 10,000 arrested landings. IKE logged 31,500 flight hours and burned 23 million gallons of JP-5 jet fuel. Overall, the strike group expended 60 air-to-air missiles and 420 air-to-surface weapons as well as 180 missiles fired from the vertical launchers of its surface ships. Rear Admiral Kavon “Hak” Hakimzadeh, the strike group’s commander, chronicled the Eisenhower CSG’s accomplishments in a recent article: “Reflections on the USS Eisenhower Strike Group’s Red Sea Deployment”. Hak also joined CMS for our monthly podcast, Maritime Nation, to talk about his ships, his Sailors, and their mission in the Red Sea.
Since IKE’s return home, the USS Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group has been in the Gulf of Oman providing support to the Commander, Central Command. On July 31st, Hamas political leader, Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a covert operation while attending the inauguration ceremony for the new Iranian President. Iran vowed swift and lethal retaliation against Israel. As a precautionary measure, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin dispatched another aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, to the region. Based on the Pentagon’s pattern of decision making, presumably land-based air is not enough to cover down on the high threat areas during the ongoing crisis.
The most interesting fact about this decision is that the U.S. has elected to run the risk of having zero carrier presence in the Western Pacific in order to quell the threat of escalating violence in the Middle East. It is a testament to the aircraft carrier’s versatility—and unmatched utility to combatant commanders—that CSGs can transition seamlessly from deterring China and reassuring our allies in the Pacific one month to shooting down drones and missiles in the Red Sea the next. Few other assets in the American military arsenal besides nuclear-powered submarines offer the same combination of flexibility and potency…much less while being able to deploy anywhere in the world!
Although Iran vowed to execute another major strike on Israel after Haniyeh’s assassination, nothing has happened to date. Speculation continues that Iran will eventually retaliate against Israel for the embarrassing killing of the Hamas political leader on Iranian soil, the presence of two American Carrier Strike Groups in the region has the Iranian leadership’s attention. If there were no American aircraft carriers in the theater right now, what would deter the Iranians from striking? If Iranian leaders were unimpeded, would they coordinate attacks on Israel with other members of the Axis of Resistance—Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other terrorist factions? If so, would this lead to a full-blown war in the Middle East? Perhaps, but American naval presence has changed the calculus for the leaders of Iran and the Axis of Resistance. All the more reason to stay strong, stay vigilant, and keep America’s aircraft carriers ready and engaged.
The costs of avoiding a war in the Middle East far outweigh the cost of carrier operations on a day-to-day basis. The same can be said of the Indo-Pacific or Atlantic theaters. Even though those seas remain quiescent for now, danger lurks in the offing. If conflict breaks out in either of those places, you can bet that the first thing the President and Secretary of Defense will ask is: “where are the carriers?”
Admiral James G. Foggo, U.S. Navy (ret.), Dean
The views expressed in this piece are the sole opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Center for Maritime Strategy or other institutions listed.