Summary: The global fascination with constructing aircraft carriers confronts a stark reality in today’s heavily defended geopolitical landscape, where advanced A2/AD systems pose significant challenges to traditional naval power projection. This reality is particularly acute for countries like South Korea, which faces a direct and formidable threat from its northern neighbor. In this context, a strategic realignment focusing on advanced defensive technologies—such as space-based missile defenses and hypersonic weapons—alongside robust air and amphibious assault capabilities, could offer a more effective deterrence and defensive posture. 

Adapting to Modern Warfare: Why South Korea Might Skip the Aircraft Carrier Race

There’s something wrong with most world leaders today. They are all obsessed with building aircraft carriers of various sizes. This obsession runs counter with the tactical reality that most navies face today. Not since the Second World War have territories of rival states been so heavily defended by anti-aircraft and anti-ship weapons. 

Today, nations like China, but also Russia, Iran, North Korea, and coterie of others, have built sophisticated arsenals of what’s known as “anti-access/area denial” (A2/AD) platforms. These systems are more than capable of neutering whatever advantages expensive aircraft carriers give to the world’s navies. 

Overcoming the A2/AD threat should be the main—only—priority of countries like the United States, Japan, South Korea, and so many other nations allied with the West. Because those A2/AD systems are what’s going to prevent the far more powerful capabilities of Western militaries from being brought to bear against these autocratic regimes, it makes little sense for nations to continue to build systems that will be diminished, if not destroyed, by A2/AD.

That holds especially true for medium-sized powers, such as South Korea. 

The Real Threat of North Korea

Facing a terrible threat just to their north, isolated on the lower half of the Korean Peninsula, South Korea is desperate to defend itself at all costs. Especially in light of Kim Jong-un’s recent vow to annihilate South Korea with his growing nuclear weapons arsenal. But that’s precisely why an aircraft carrier is not necessarily what South Korea needs to ensure its national security. 

What South Korea needs is a multi-layered air defense network that can repel incoming artillery and bombs from North Korea. A much wiser investment for South Korea would be to find willing partners with robust space programs to develop an arsenal of space-based missile defenses to better enhance their ability to mitigate the North Korean nuclear threat. Further, South Korea must quickly develop a hypersonic weapons capability that it has thus far lacked. For both the space and hypersonic issues, South Korea would likely find a willing partnerin India. 

As for South Korea’s navy, if they really want an aircraft carrier capability, they should just build a helicopter carrier and equip it with a naval version of their KF-21 fourth-generation-plus warplane. But the bulk of their capabilities should be centered on building durable amphibious landing craft and destroyers to better protect those units. 

After all, any war with North Korea would be more than defensive conflict for the survival of the South. It would inevitably prompt Seoul to go on the offensive in the North. 

An amphibious assault would be helpful in this mission. 

Aircraft Carriers Won’t Stop A2/AD

The bottom line is that, until Western navies quit their obsession with the aircraft carrier, they will continue to be threatened by the autocratic regimes of Eurasia. These regimes have but a handful of capabilities that can truly stymie Western military power before it can be fully brought to bear. 

The A2/AD threat is the primary threat that must be overcome. The aircraft carrier cannot help to achieve this end. And for South Korea, which is already having trouble fielding its fourth-generation-plus warplane, the KF-21, to think it could reliably produce medium-sized (or larger) aircraft carriers—and maintain them—is ridiculous. 

As Dirty Harry famously said, “A man’s got to know his limitations.” That holds doubly true for nation-states in the age of renewed great power competition and asymmetrical warfare. South Korea is a medium-sized power that needs to focus on defending its territory against bombardment from the north, possible nuclear attack, and it needs amphibious landing capacities far greater than it has to hit back at North Korea.

About the Author 

Brandon J. Weichert, a National Interest national security analyst, is a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who is a contributor at The Washington Times, as well as at American Greatness and the Asia Times. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower (Republic Book Publishers), Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. Weichert can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.