Too often history shows that military gets bogged down into the idea that tactics that have worked in the past will continue to work in the future, and while this may be true in some long tested cases. I do not believe this to be the case for United States Naval Aviation and the future of the super carrier. The history of naval aviation is a short one, with the first self-propelled aircraft only just flying in 1903 built by the famous Orville and Wilbur Wright. When placed on a time line this is only a small blip of 101 years of development, compared to the development time of 210 years the United States Navy has had since 1794 when the original 6 US Navy Frigates were authorized. My position is that the United States Navy should move away from the Mahan set up of fleets where the larger the ship the better the fleet in the aviation world a super carrier to a larger number of small effective carriers that can be pushed forwards to the destabilizing corners of the oceans. This is in line with the goal of the Chair of the Joint Chief of Staff and is what should take place in order to keep up with the available technology.
I will start with the discussion of the development of naval aviation and what the major steps have been to develop the carrier air wings that we have today. Naval Aviation can really be broken into 3 historic periods, and the modern day set of air craft we operate. The first stage is the pre-closed cockpit era during the pre-World War One years the 20s and the early 30s. Throughout this time period planes were being developed for the first time to land on carriers all the time with a goal of launch and recovery. This goal was not solely restricted to air planes however during this period vertical takeoff with ...
... middle of paper ...
...suming a double in the number of carriers the United States operates we would be pushing the command level out supplying smaller carriers and battle groups to cover the more rapidly occurring problems around the world, while decreasing the tactical and financial cost of a hit on one of these ships, and an early move like this will give the nation time to adapt before our adversaries can catch or match our strength. Seeing that is takes year and mishaps and adaptation to evolve into a true blue water Navy. This strategy and use of smaller and decentralized battle groups I believe is what the Joint Chief of Staff is looking for in a future Navy. It would take decades and Billions to change the tactics of the United States Navy, but in order not to get bogged down with the historic tactics of bigger is better I believe this is the change that is coming and should come.
...now to all the different components that must be brought together to form even one ship; the mass resources, up to two hundred men, extensive time in training- it is no surprise that naval warfare proves to be an extremely expensive and therefore risky endeavor (Hale 2009).
The Civil Reserve Air Fleet is a partnership between the Department of Defense and commercial airlines where the airlines contractually commit a portion of their aircraft and crews to be used by the Department in the event of any level of military conflict. These aircraft can be “called up” and required to respond quickly to provide airlift support to the Department of Defense. There are minimum required levels of participation in order for the airlines to be eligible, and in turn they receive peace time business including passenger and cargo movement approximately in proportion to their commitment level. The program is divided into three segments which include varying amounts and sizes of aircraft that serve specific purposes. There are also three levels of activation depending on the severity of the conflict, which also require different amounts and sizes of aircraft. This program has been in place for nearly 53 years, and has become an essential partnership required for an effective United States military. The following pages are an investigation various aspects of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet such as its purpose, history, and effectiveness.
The history of flying dates back as early as the fifteenth century. A Renaissance man named Leonardo da Vinci introduced a flying machine known as the ornithopter. Da Vinci proposed the idea of a machine that had bird like flying capabilities. Today no ornithopters exist due to the restrictions of humans, and that the ornithopters just aren’t practical. During the eighteenth century a philosopher named Sir George Cayley had practical ideas of modern aircraft. Cayley never really designed any workable aircraft, but had many incredible ideas such as lift, thrust, and rigid wings to provide for lift. In the late nineteenth century the progress of aircraft picks up. Several designers such as Henson and Langley, both paved the way for the early 1900’s aircraft design. Two of the most important people in history of flight were the Wright Brothers. The Wright Brothers were given the nickname the “fathers of the heavier than air flying machine” for their numerous flights at their estate in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville and Wilbur Wright created a motor-powered biplane in which they established incredible feats of the time. The Wright Brothers perfected their design of the heavier than air flying ma...
On an ordinary day, October 12, 2000, in the port of Aden, Yemen, a small boat pulled aside the USS Cole. The unimportant boat looked unthreatening until a suicide attack occurred. The bombing was devastating, leaving a gigantic hole in the ship, killing 17 American sailors and injuring 39. The attackers were known enemies from Al- Qaeda, which had committed attacks against other countries. The attack on the USS Cole was one of the events that triggered the war on terror, which is still going on today. The U.S. had not concerned itself with Al-Qaeda until this vicious attack. The attack on the USS Cole began a war between terrorists and the U.S; the U.S now knows how dangerous Al-Qaeda is especially after the attack of 9/11. The Cole attack woke the United States and made it aware of Al-Qaeda as a real threat.
...hought it was interesting learning the various ways people had fought out in the sea, including the ways the young officers would eventually end up becoming the only Five-Star Fleet Admirals. In the book The Admirals the officers (Nimetz, King, Halsey, Leahy) prove that men should not be ranked on their skills or technology alone, but on both areas in a synchronized manner to overcome obstacles and rise above all other elements that stand in the way. The ships that the men grew fond of had become an inspiration to keep moving forward and succeed when it came to the battlefield. This thought would later become the thought that America has adopted to move forward when it comes to technology and build upon what has been learned. Anything from the structure of sea vessels to the artillery it carried did not only aid in war, but it aided in a country that could progress.
Roosevelt had been influencing the United States Navy to be stronger ever since he wrote The Naval War of 1812, while he was at Harvard. Theodore Roosevelt’s book puts the war in a whole new perspective. Roosevelt with the help of Captain Alfred T. Mahan and Rear Admiral Stephen B. Luce identified that their common ground was that America had great power in her deep ocean waters and needed to use it. Those oceans needed a capable water fleet to operate them (The Naval Strategist). In 1890 Congress approved the building of the first modern steam-powered, steel-hulled ships. Out came the most excellent warships anywhere; they were named the Indiana, the Massachusetts, and the Oregon. Roosevelt was impressed with these ships, but he wanted more. Roosevelt wanted a two-ocean navy capable of attacking the Pacific and the Atlantic simultaneously (Grondahl 2015 246). Congress agreed and Roosevelt got what he wanted. Mahan and Roosevelt campaigned to strengthen the navy through their speeches and writings. The Navy was slow, bulky, short-haul monitors guarding the home shores and swift, light cruisers that shot out of protected ports to attack enemy ships. Theodore and Mahan’s writings and speeches changed that part of the Navy for the better (Grondahl 2015 246-247). Theodore changed the Navy several ways and not all by
The Civil War consisted of many legendary battles over the soil of the United and Confederate States of America, which will be retold for generations in history books. Although these land battles were indeed great, the concept of this paper will be the Naval warfare of the Civil War, paying certain attention to the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac.
The United States Merchant Marines are complied of thousands of the best trained men and women of today to man naval or commercial ships. Merchant Marines have dated back even further then the United States Coast Guard. The Merchant Marines have had a huge impact on the United States Navy since they have been established. Merchant Marines have manned fleets of ships for the U.S. Navy which carry imports and export during peace time. Once wartime rolls around, they become naval auxiliary, to ship and deliver troops and war materials. The largest participation came from the United States Merchant Marines after the Merchant Marine Act of 1936. Due to the act of 1936, the controversial question is when the greatest impact of the Merchant Marines on the United States Navy was during World War 2 and Vietnam War. The merchant marines were called upon to active duty and they responded helping the United States Navy.
(my opinion) I honestly do not care either way about military sonar simply because I agree with both sides of the argument. Yes it kills thousands of marine animals but it also allows the Navy to keep the people safe from any “ninja” submarines that might want to bomb the U.S. or what not and potentially kill millions. Military will continue to sonar.
Xuequan, Mu. Navy admiral: China to develop sophisticated marine weapon systems. April 15, 2009. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/15/content_11191749.htm (accessed November 14, 2010).
New Large Aircraft (NLA) or New Generation Large Aircraft (NGLA) are the future of long distance air travel. With current air craft size reaching unknown proportions to humankind, airports that are interested in attracting future business as well as the revenue the large amount of passengers per flight may generate, will have to adapt their installations to the demanding needs of these supersized vehicles. The following paper will focus on the new Airbus A380 and the requirements that airports inviting this magnificent work of engineering to use their installations will need to meet.
...because of the high power, force, and energy densities possible, all prized features for an aircraft carrier. In the future Navy, weight and volume may be of even higher importance as smaller budgets demand smaller ships, and future design requirements demand more performance out of smaller boxes. Electromagnetics offers this advantage. These systems would also provide the essential controllability that comes with electrical machinery allowing for safer, less mechanically stressing operations. This will lead to extended life of airframes, nose-gear, and tail-hooks. Most importantly, electromagnetic motors will provide high level forces and greater efficiencies, which will permit the future generations of heavier, faster aircraft to operate off a carrier. Systems need to be developed that can produce the necessary performance; electromagnetics offers a viable option.
Admiral Marc Andrew Mitscher, or “Pete”, was never interested in the Navy at a young age. It always seemed as though he would choose to do some type of outdoor work. However, after his father got him an appointment to the United States Naval Academy against all odds, he started on the path to become an officer. Being a Naval Academy graduate, he put his training to good use as he rose through the ranks of the US Navy. ADMIRAL MITSCHER’S INNOVATIONS ON THE USS LANGLEY HELPED TO FULLY INCORPORTAE AVIATION INTO THE NAVY AND ARE IN USE ON MODERN CARRIERS. AS A LEADER, HIS DECISIVENESS THROUGHOUT HIS COMMAND IN WORLD WAR II AND AFTERWARDS PROVED HIM TO BE ONE OF THE NAVY’S BEST OFFICERS.
Glenn Curtiss was a major innovator in early aviation. He is known as the father of naval aviation due to his creation of the hydroplane (Lawrence, 2014). Curtiss, along with other members of the Aerial Experiment Association, equipped their planes with little moveable panels at the end of each wing called, ailerons. When tilted up or down, these ailerons could increase or reduce lift for that wing (Lawrence, 2014). Curtiss and the AEA were also the first to win the Scientific American trophy for flying their June Bug a distance of one kilometer. In 1919, Curtiss’s aircraft, the NC-4, became the first airplane to cross the Atlantic Ocean (Lawrence, 2014).
The aviation industry is constantly evolving as each day brings new and better technology than the last. As a student pursuing a future career in the aviation industry it is very important to understand all the technologies being used within it—especially those related directly to the flight aspect. This CNN article contains a lot of valuable information regarding the Concorde as the first commercial plane with supersonic capabilities—as well as the improvements and the future technological advancements to come. As a future pilot, it is absolutely necessary to understand the different types of flight within the world, especially the controversy surrounding certain types of flight—like supersonic flight—as it won’t be long before the current aviation students are the ones running the industry. In a history class such as Aviation History and Development it is important to study supersonic flight, as the debate surrounding it isn’t a new problem, but rather a reoccurring one of many years past. Often times fear of technology, such as the fear of super speed flight, come from the uncertainty and lack of knowledge regarding the subject. If one looks to the past they often can discover information regarding how the technology works and it can often quell fears as one can read about the thousands of improvements made since the original model. This article was selected based on its substantial information regarding past and future technologies, as well as its discussions regarding the evolution of high-speed flight. After reading this article about the Concorde and the future of supersonic flight, one will feel much more confident not only regarding the knowledge of the past but also about the future technology as it comes into use.