Squirrel,
At 65K tons the "C" is probably a better fit and looks to be a CV vice a gator (amphibious assault ships) in the 40K ton class that the Harriers (and "B") will fly off of.
I think if does make economic and operational sense. The Amphibious Ready Group can stay closer in (remain on location) while the CVBG stays further out or goes away for other missions. It is rare for a CVBG to conduct a NEO; it is usually an ARG as that is where the resident training and expertise lies.
A very added benefit that is hard for bean counters to understand are the positive effects of the CAS, rotary wing, and ground combat element working/messing/PTing together.
It shows up in combat. When the USMC was in Somalia we conducted raids with little drama. When we took over Anbar both the USA and USAF went on record stating that we would not be able to operate fixed wing aircraft out of either Al Assad or TQ for a couple of years.
On the politics/media front I believe that the media/politicians would pay attention to the location of either your CV or gator while they ignore our gators for the most part. Being ignored by the media and politicians can be very beneficial most of the time.
S/F, FOG
Last edited by FOG; 17th Apr 2009 at 20:39.
Reason: spelling/grammer