Number wise we have half the operating carriers in our navy (11 of 22) as it is, not to mention 9 auxiliary carriers... we have new classes (Ford and Americas) coming on-line now, but most likely they will be a one for one exchange of those coming off line... heck the last of the Nimitz class isn't due to come off line until 2058, and the last of the new class coming on-line sometime around 2040 or so... and the auxiliary classes have quite a bit of capability.
Auxiliary carriers? I assume you're referring to the amphibs? I can assure you that they do not match a CVN in anywhere near capability. They are designed for the Amphib role and not power protection. They cannot launch fixed wing other than Harriers (and maybe some day the F-35) and they only carry 20 of those, a lot less if you need to actually run the primary mission using helos and Ospreys.
Don't have a clue what our current military planning is, but just don't see a need for a whole lot more main carriers than what were operating now... not when the cost of one main fleet carrier would probably build 10 or 12 auxiliary carriers.
You should have stopped right at the end of the first sentence in this paragraph.
. Go ask the Brits, French and Spanish about how the like their little carriers, all of them about half the size of a CVN but it takes a lot more than half that cost to build and run.
As to the pissers, appearently it's a new navy!
Phil
Yep, not the Navy I was commissioned in went to war in and retired from. They changed it, they can live with it. It was bad enough managing a division and department of 18 to 28 year old males going to sea for six months. I can't imagine what a pain it is with multi-gender, multi-sexual orientation department/division is now. Used to be I spent 75% of my time on personnel matters vice tactic and being a good aviator. Now, with all the additional special programs and issues it must be a nightmare to be a JO.
