Retreat from Range

The Rise and Fall of Carrier Aviation

Defense Strategies and Assessments Program Director Dr. Jerry Hendrix argues that aircraft carriers, at a cost over $13 billion a piece, risk becoming obsolete without a major shift in strategy. In particular, he argues carriers must switch to a mixed manned/unmanned airwing or risk becoming too vulnerable to counterattacks to put into battle.

Authors

Jerry Hendrix

Former Senior Fellow and Director, Defense Program

Jerry Hendrix was the Senior Fellow and the Director of the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security. A retired Captain in the United States Navy, his staff ...

Commentary
- Texas National Security Review
- May 10, 2023
Marine Force Design: Changes Overdue Despite Critics’ Claims
Imagine a Corps that can emulate what the Ukrainian army did to the Russian army during the first phase of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation,” but...

By Robert O. Work
Transcript
- May 3, 2023
Fireside Chat with Senator Jack Reed
Transcript from the April 24, 2023, conversation between Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), and Stacie Pettyjohn, Senior Fellow and Director of the Defense program at the Center for a ...

By Stacie Pettyjohn & Jack Reed
Congressional Testimony
- April 27, 2023
Bad Blood: The TTX for the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
I. Introduction Chairman Gallagher, Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi, distinguished members of the committee and staff, thank you for inviting me to come today to talk about the ...

By Stacie Pettyjohn, Becca Wasser & Andrew Metrick
Video
- April 23, 2023
War Games: House Committee simulates Chinese invasion of Taiwan
Last week, the Defense Team and Gaming Lab from CNAS conducted a tabletop exercise for the House Select Committee on China examining a hypothetical future invasion of Taiwan b...

By Stacie Pettyjohn, Becca Wasser & Andrew Metrick