Originally Posted by
West Coast
Short fuse rarely means a minutes away response. Even when the ship itself is not physically in range, its air wing is. A carrier’s power is undeniable, both politically and militarily. Politically, knowing a CSG is steaming towards your shore sends a message. Militarily, even with a ship far off, those aircraft have a long reach, especially when tanking from organic assets or perhaps even off USAF assets. This was the norm where land locked Afghanistan was on the receiving end of carrier based jets launched from carriers. Carriers that were “in range” to use your words despite operating long distances away from the target area.
It also permits air operations in regions where local alliances can't be forged and used to support military action.
Last edited by beardy; 12th April 2026 at 06:48.