American Carrier Air Power at the Dawn of a New Century

Recent campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq have demonstrated that American carrier air power can conduct coordinated deep-strike missions well beyond coastal reaches, providing around the clock target coverage, consistently accurate target attack, and multiple successful targer attacks per sortie. The terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, heralded the start of a fundamentally new era for American carrier-based air power. The ensuing war in Afghanistan required a deep-strike capability in the remotest part of Southwest Asia where the United States maintained virtually no regional access. In that war, U.S. carrier-based fighters substituted almost entirely for land-based theater air forces because of an absence of suitable forward operating locations for the latter. Barely more than a year later, the Navy's carriers again played a key role in conducting around-the-clock operations against Saddam Hussein's forces in Iraq. Six of 12 carriers and their air wings were surged to contribute to the campaign, with a seventh carrier battle group held in reserve in the Western Pacific and an eighth also deployed at sea and available for tasking. As borne out by those experiences, American carrier air power now operates as a massed force able to conduct coordinated deep-strike missions well beyond coastal reaches when aided by nonorganic tanking. The Navy's performance over Afghanistan and Iraq further showed how far the nation's carrier force has advanced since the end of the cold war in providing around-the-clock target coverage, consistently accurate target attack, and-for the first time in its history-multiple successful target attacks per sortie. A new Fleet Response Plan validated during Operation Iraqi Freedom promises to nearly double the number of carriers that can be surged and made ready for tasking on short notice. By the time U.S. naval aviation celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2011, it will have gained even greater combat leverage with the introduction of a new carrier-based stealth fighter and an ever-tighter fusion of sensors, information networks, and weapons. The author examines the dramatic improvements in American carrier air capability since the end of the cold war that were showcased with such great success in the first two major wars of the twenty-first century. He first describes the campaign against Osama Bin Laden's terrorist infrastructure in Afghanistan, a tasking that required deep attacks from the sea in a remote part of the world where the United States lacked access close enough to the war zone for land-based theater air forces. He then reviews the role of American carrier-based air power in conducting around-the-clock operations during the three weeks of major combat in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In both cases, he explains how American carrier air power now operates as a massed force able to conduct deep-strike missions well beyond coastal reaches when aided by long-range inflight refueling. He further shows how far the nation's carrier force has advanced since the end of the cold war in providing consistently accurate weapons delivery and--for the first time in its history--multiple successful target attacks per sortie. He concludes with an optimistic view of American carrier air power's future that will be marked by greater carrier surge potential, the introduction of new combat aircraft, a successor to the Nimitz-class carrier, and an ever-tighter fusion of platforms, sensors, networks, and weapons This work sheds light on Russia's role in the global Information Revolution. It examines the sources, dynamics, and consequences of Russia's increasing use of and reliance on information and communications technologies (IT) to improve the performance of its government institutions, to modernize business and industry and stimulate economic growth, to broaden information access and sharing of ideas, and to enhance quality of life for Russian people. The findings reported here are drawn from a RAND Corporation research project conducted in Russia from 1999 to 2005, which included interviews with more than 90 individuals who are knowledgeable about IT trends. The author examines Russia's emerging IT sector, how business and industry in Russia are seeking to use IT to enhance productivity and profitability, the impact of IT on government operations, and the course of the Information Revolution in Russian society. A conclusion that emerges is that while the Internet, cell phones, and e-mail have greatly impacted the lives of many Russians, an Information Revolution in Russia's government, economy, and society-such as many of its supporters have anticipated and hoped for-remains in the future In the Afghanistan war, U.S. carrier-based fighters substituted almost entirely for land-based theater air forces. The Navy_s carriers again played a key role in conducting around-the-clock operations against Saddam Hussein_s forces in Iraq. American carrier air power is now able to conduct coordinated deep-strike missions well beyond coastal reaches. The Navy_s performance over Afghanistan and Iraq showed how the nation_s carrier force can provide around-the-clock target coverage, consistently accurate target attack, and multiple successful target attacks per sortie. Preliminaries......Page 1 Preface......Page 3 Contents......Page 5 Carrier Air over Afghanistan......Page 33 Operation Iraqi Freedom......Page 63 A New Carrier Operating Concept......Page 83 The Next-Generation Carrier......Page 93 The Changing Face of American Carrier Air Power......Page 103 Conclusions......Page 123 Bibliography......Page 129