“Aircraft Carriers for Ukraine!” Bad for America, Even Worse for Ukraine

First off, I strongly support Ukraine in their fight against Russia’s unwarranted and illegal invasion. Every American who remembers the Cold War should support Ukraine, even if only because it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than having to fight Russia ourselves.

But last night I saw a tweet that I just couldn’t let go:

One of the primary jobs of any senior sailor is to help junior sailors pull their heads out of their collective asses, just as was done for us when we were young, dumb, and full of…ah, back to the story. There’s one major reason why America’s never sold a supercarrier (i.e. every U.S. aircraft carrier since the commissioning of the USS Forrestal (CV 59) in 1955) to any other nation: logistics. We’d love to be able to sell them to, say, the United Kingdom, but no other nation — including China, whose brand-spanking new Type 003 aircraft carrier is nearing operational status — currently has the wherewithal to fully and effectively utilize a supercarrier. The key words, mind you, are “fully and effectively utilize.”

Supercarrier Operations 101: The Easy Stuff

Aircraft carriers are no longer the biggest ships afloat, and it’s not even close. Fully loaded, the newest supertankers have several times the…