Dear Sir
The Israeli/Gaza war has shown the need to build up our Aircraft Carrier strike forces. The USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (CSG) had to be moved from covering the Pacific to the Middle East to provide additional firepower against a possible Iranian attack against Israel. With the USS Roosevelt CSG on station in the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific region was left without a CSG.
We currently have 11 CSGs to cover the world, but only five or six carriers are available at one time due to nuclear refuelling and overhauls of five or more years, routine maintenance, modifications, crew relaxation, replenishment and transit times.
At a cost of about $15 billion per carrier and the need for a crew of 5,000 to 6,000 sailors, the Navy has a formidable task to try to increase its carrier forces. Additionally, the US shipbuilding industry has been seriously depleted.
The Ukraine/Russia war has shown the importance of utilizing drones in warfare. Maybe we should be looking at modifying our existing 11 CSGs to have the capability to conduct offensive and defensive drone operations; and construct new drone aircraft carriers at a much lower cost than $15 billion while lowering on-going operational costs. Also, a much smaller crew would be required for drone carriers.
Donald Moskowitz
Londonderry NH
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