Aircraft Carrier Requirements And Strategy 1977-2001

Aircraft Carrier Requirements and Strategy 1977-2001. To anyone with an interest in Naval history or the decision process how the Department of Defense (DOD) and specifically the Department of the Navy establishes the need and use of massive instruments of war such as an aircraft carrier, this resource provides a comprehensive insight into the period of greatest change in the carrier force.

This book looks at aircraft carrier requirements in the U.S. Navy between 1977 and 2001, covering the Carter, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Clinton pres-idential administrations.1 Technically speaking, in 2020, “requirements” refers to a specific process in the Department of Defense’s (DOD) acquisition system, whereby the Joint Requirements Oversight Council ensures that acquisition programs align with the National Defense Strategy and “roles, functions, and missions in current or future operations,” but the word is used here in a more informal manner.2 Instead, this book examines the process by which the Navy, the Office of the Secretary of De-fense (OSD), the Joint Staff, Congress, and presidential administrations determined how many aircraft carriers the Navy needed, how to pay for and build those carriers, and what to do with those vessels once they were in service. Taking this wider view of defense resourcing and planning will allow readers to see how the Navy fit in the wider national security picture.

Acknowledgments

vii Introduction  p. 1 

The Carter Administration, 1977–81  p. 11 

The Reagan Administration, 1981–89  p. 45 

The Bush Administration, 1989–93  p. 75

The Clinton Administration, 1993–2001 p. 119 

Conclusion p. 159

List of Acronyms and Abbreviations  p. 167

Bibliography p. 169

Index p. 177

Military historians, students, and those engaged in Naval operations or procurement such as contractors. Active members and Veteran navy personnel would also find this resource fascinating and educational.