Best Of: The Time is Right for Light Carriers

Editor’s Note: For this year’s Memorial Day feature, The Cipher Brief revisits its coverage examining the future of U.S. aircraft carriers. 

Some planners advocate building smaller carriers that could employ many U.S. Navy supercarriers’ capabilities at less cost. With the right aircraft, a light carrier could undertake long-range strike, counter-air and reconnaissance, and sea control missions to deter conflict, manage escalation, and project U.S. power. The Cipher Brief spoke to Peter Haynes, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, about how light carriers could be integrated into future naval operations.