... advantage over any smaller ship [Association of Naval Aviation, article by VADM John Nathman]. While it may be true that some very small ships are faster, a further discussion will show the aircraft carrier far surpasses any small ship with respect to total mobility. As Carl Conetta and Charles Knight point out, under emergency conditions carriers could be rushed into service. Given several days to prepare and assuming a top-speed transit, one carrier at least could be in the Far East within 12 days ["Alleged Carrier Gap is Out to Sea" Project on Defense Alternatives, Briefing memo 15, April 1999.] No other ship with the assets the carrier brings to bear can match that. Another mobility aspect is the constant presence worldwide through pre-positioning of the aircraft carrier, especially throughout the later half of the 20th century. In any response to crisis, the importance of have a warship close to an ...

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