mahogany bob
With a defence review looming and WW3 forecast within 5 years by some esteemed military ‘experts ‘ should we not bite the bullet ,cut our losses and bin ( sell off ) our super expensive carriers ?
No - you are aware of the value of the long range capabilities that they provide? The carrier is essential to winning (or deterring) a conflict at sea at any distance from friendly air bases - that includes the Norwegian Sea, parts of the Mediterranean, and places such as the Red Sea, as shown by current events.
if , heaven forbid , WW3 ever starts it will all be over in days and the carriers mission of world wide power projection ,keeping sea lanes open etc will not apply. ( in any case putting these expensive assets in vulnerable locations would be very risky)
Not as risky as airfields, headquarter buildings, and industrial facilities providing fixed single points of failure. Are you assuming that the war goes nuclear? Or are you assuming that their will be no need to move forces within the European theatre - forces that will have to move by sea.
Defending Taiwan is not our TOP priority!
Who said it was?
Their role in deterring WW3 is debatable.
Perhaps, but NATO relies on deterrence, and carriers (not just ours) play a major part. See Exercise Steadfast Defender 24 for an example.
their role in showing UK off to the world is out of date - we no longer have an empire!
Surely the lack of Empire makes the carrier more relevant?
carriers will not be much use defending Ukraines sovereignty if a peace settlement is ever finally achieved.
Well spotted - you may be aware of the Montreux Convention. But what about everywhere else?
All our scanty underfunded spending should be focused more on direct defence of the homeland such as protection against hypersonic missiles, drones and cyber attack.
any money left over should be spent directly ,with our NATO allies ,on forces directly adjoining Russias borders to deter any further expansion/aggression.
Where are these hypersonic missiles going to be fired from? The Russians make a big thing about submarine fired ones. Also do you think we can maintain large garrisons in the Nordics and the Baltic States? Fortunately a carrier group can not only track and engage the Russian submarines, it can also splash at least some of the missiles (Russian hypersonic weapons have been used in Ukraine and have been far from undefeatable), it can also protect the maritime movement of forces in a crisis.
Back to Exercise
Steadfast Defender 24:
HMS
Prince of Wales can be seen from 2:15:
In the North Sea Exercise Joint Warrior
has been taking place. The exercises involved 14 countries with nearly 50 vessels. This includes aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates, patrol vessels, minehunters, submarines, and auxiliary ships. There were 100 fast jets, 30 helicopters, and various surveillance, patrol, and air-to-air refuelling aircraft. Their mission? Within the Steadfast Defender
exercise scenario, they had to dominate the seas and the skies in the high north so that amphibious landings could be executed.
NATO task groups come together off Norway coast - Royal Navy - 14 March 24
Two potent task groups proved their strength to defend Arctic waters and shorelines from threats when they came together as part of NATO exercises.
The UK Carrier Strike Group, led by HMS Prince of Wales,
was joined by a NATO Amphibious Task Group and a range of aircraft off the coast of Norway as part of Exercise Nordic Response.
The formation of more than 10 ships from eight nations gave the men and women on board the chance to practise close manoeuvres - overcoming language barriers and different ways of operating at sea.
In a show of might for NATO and it partners, the exercise allowed the vessels and their aircraft to demonstrate their ability to defend allied territory while simultaneously defending themselves from potential enemies.
See also a dedicated thread from another forum:
1977 US Congress Report: The US Sea Control Mission (carriers needed in the Atlantic for Air Defence and ASW - due to Maths/Physics/Geography)