FLUG REVUE January 2005: US Navy aircraft carriers play crucial role

January 2005

US NAVY CARRIERS RULE THE SEAS

By Karl Schwarz

Operations such as “Enduring Freedom” and “Iraqi Freedom” and, quite generally, the continuing global fight against terrorism have thrown the once carefully ordained mission plans of the US aircraft carriers into complete disarray over the last few years. There have been times when five carrier groups were stationed in the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf. Many ships have had to stay at sea a lot longer than the normal six months. For example, the Abraham Lincoln was at sea for ten months, during which it covered 188,000 km and 16,500 missions were flown.

Carrier

In order to be able to respond more quickly in the face of unpredictable challenges, the US Navy has reorganised its plans. The Fleet Response Plan (FRP) which came into force at the end of 2003 departs from the rigid approach which envisaged that the aircraft carriers would spend six months performing operational missions, followed by 18 months in the dock for maintenance and training. “We were so predictable,” recalls Admiral Vern Clark, Chief of Naval Operations. “I thought we should offer potential enemies much greater uncertainty as to where we would turn up.”

Even under the new fleet readiness plan, the layover of around seven months allowed for maintenance and any necessary repairs following the return from a tour of duty remains untouched. This is necessary so as to avoid overloading the few qualified dockyards. However, the ensuing period of preparation for the next deployment, which up to now has stretched out to almost a year, is to be cut back significantly. Basic training is to be completed in as little as five months, and in an emergency this would be slashed to only three months, so that the carrier can be available for deployment.

If this is not necessary, then the training and exercise time will continue as per normal, including the big joint task force exercises involving the full carrier fleet. “We operate today in a quite different strategic environment that demands more flexibility of us,” explains Admiral Clark. It is no longer a case of routine deployments, he says, but of “being present when a job needs doing”. The aim is to have at least six aircraft carriers operationally ready at any time plus another two that could be deployed as replacements or reinforcements within a period of 90 days.

The US Navy demonstrated just what is possible under the new fleet readiness plan during “Summer Pulse 04” from June to August, when the George Washington and John C. Stennis carriers were already deployed in the Iraq war. Even the Kitty Hawk, which is normally based in Japan, was out at sea, while the John F. Kennedy and Harry S. Truman were taking part in exercises. The latter then moved to the Gulf, along with the Enterprise. Finally, the Ronald Reagan used its relocation from Norfolk to its new home harbour of San Diego as an opportunity to take part in fleet manoeuvres in the South Atlantic and Pacific.

While the US Navy is busy trying to get the most out of its twelve active carriers (the Constellation was mothballed at the end of 2003), CVN 77 George H. W. Bush is currently under construction with Northrop Grumman in Newport News, Virginia. This is the tenth and final ship in the Nimitz class, equipped with a number of improvements, such as a new radar tower, modern communications systems and a simpler aircraft fuel system.

Entry into service of the George H. W. Bush is planned for 2008. Like its predecessor, it will remain in service for around 50 years. During this period, it will be necessary to replace the fuel rods for the nuclear reactors once, a process that began in 2001 with the Nimitz itself and was then continued on the Eisenhower. The next ship on the list is the Carl Vinson, which will be unavailable for three years while it is being upgraded.

Meanwhile the basic design of the Nimitz class is around 40 years old, so the US Navy is planning a significant step forward with the CVN 21. Although similar in size to today's carriers, it is to be fitted with an improved flightdeck so that more missions can be flown. The flightdeck improvements include an electromagnetic catapult system and improved weapon hoists. The side part of the bridge is to be moved further back. New nuclear reactors are also very important. They offer more power (above all, three times as much electrical energy) and can be serviced by a smaller team. Simpler maintenance and higher reliability mean personnel reductions in other areas too. In this way, around 1,000 jobs will go. The primary objective here is to reduce operating costs. Construction of the first new model (CVN 78) is expected to commence in 2007, so that the Enterprise, the last of the remaining carriers with conventional propulsion, can then be retired by 2014.

Additional CVN 21's will then be added in due course. By the middle of the century this will ensure that the US Navy dominates the world's seas and that the USA has the capability to get to every crisis point quickly.

From page 6 of FLUG REVUE 1/2005

Last updated 8 January 2005

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