Are 12 Navy Aircraft Carriers Enough to Stop a Rising China?

Are 12 Navy Aircraft Carriers Enough to Stop a Rising China?Nothing in the world can project power like a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, which brings the ability to launch massive offensive strikes from waters offshore, holding targets and enemies at risk. This proven reality explains why the mere forward presence of a carrier can have a “calming” type of deterrent effect. At times, the Navy and Pentagon’s leaders have called for eleven carriers, and have most recently asked for twelve. However, the U.S. Navy now only operates ten aircraft carriers, so it makes sense that the Navy’s newly released “Chief of Naval Operations Navigation Plan 2022” has called for twelve aircraft carriers as the Navy moves into the future.

“Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, which will remain the most survivable and versatile airfields in the world, provide long-range, persistent sea control, power projection, and organic sensing in contested seas, as well as flexible options across the spectrum of conflict,” the text of the plan states.

There are many reasons why the service would cite twelve carriers as the optimal number, the first of which is combatant commander demand. Fleet commanders across the world, including in the Mediterranean, Pacific, Persian Gulf, and Baltic Seas, regularly see the need for a forward carrier “presence” given the need to deter potential aggressors or even secure vital strategic international waterways. Certainly, the possibility of a two-front war in various parts of the world at the same time would require carriers for both “presence” and “power projection