Are there any remedies for what ails the aircraft carrier? Potentially. It feels as though the U.S. sea services stand at an awkward moment. New technologies could start paying off before long, but it remains unclear whether and when they will fulfill their promise. Choice matters as well. Service chieftains need to choose the right systems to accomplish their purposes, and they must persuade Congress to fund new tech in sufficient mass to make a difference at sea. Mariners need to learn to use new hardware and software for tactical and operational advantage. Directed-energy defenses have made strides, for example, as have electronic warfare, uncrewed tankers meant to extend the reach of the carrier air wing, and longer-range, speedier antiship missiles. Taken together such innovations could harden the carrier’s defenses against attack while making it a rangier, heavier-hitting offensive platform.

The carrier has defied predictions of its doom before.

Still, variables are legion. If gee-whiz defensive and offensive technologies come to fruition, the aircraft carrier could resume its habitual functions as a capital ship, raider, and offshore airfield. If not, the carrier confronts a dour future.

About the Author: Dr. James Holmes, U.S. Naval War College 

Dr. James Holmes is J. C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy at the Naval War College and a Distinguished Fellow at the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation & Future Warfare, Marine Corps University. The views voiced here are his alone.

All images are Creative Commons. 

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