The trump card that helps the US Navy dominate the oceans

Under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), countries have the right to set the breadth of their territorial waters to no more than 12 nautical miles from their baselines. The area beyond this is considered international waters. Thanks to this provision, the US Navy can mobilize aircraft carriers and a series of escort ships to international waters outside the territorial waters of the enemy, turning them into a buffer zone to control the scale of the conflict.

"Ninety percent of the world's population lives within 150 kilometers of the coast. An aircraft carrier can impact densely populated areas, as well as be present in every strategically important area in the world. The US Navy always wants to conduct war far from its shores," US Navy Colonel James C. Rentfrow affirmed.

The United States is the country with the most aircraft carriers in the world, with 10 Nimitz-class supercarriers and 9 Wasp-class amphibious ships that act as light aircraft carriers when needed. Each Nimitz-class supercarrier is 333 meters long, has a displacement of 100,000 tons, and is equipped with an aircraft carrier air wing with dozens of fighters, electronic warfare aircraft, early warning aircraft and support helicopters.

American aircraft carriers are highly maneuverable, reaching a maximum speed of over 56 km/h, allowing them to quickly maneuver to combat areas around the world in a short time. Diesel-electric submarines in stealth mode also find it difficult to catch up with aircraft carriers due to the huge speed difference. If they want to follow the aircraft carrier, these submarines will be very easy to detect.

The US Navy's nine heavy landing ships are 250 meters long and displace about 40,000 tons, reaching speeds of over 40 km/h. The US Marine Corps (USMC) plans to equip the F-35B stealth fighter to replace the AV-8B Harrier fighter and turn these landing ships into light aircraft carriers.

According to the plan, the Wasp or America-class amphibious assault ship can carry an air group of 6-8 F-35B fighters, the short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) version of the F-35, along with 10 MV-22 hybrid helicopters and 4 CH-53E heavy transport helicopters.

If necessary, US amphibious ships can reduce the number of CH-53s and V-22s to increase the number of F-35B fighters to 16-20 to enhance long-range attack capabilities.

US aircraft carriers do not operate independently, but are often deployed in battle groups consisting of destroyers and cruisers equipped with Aegis shields, along with attack submarines carrying cruise missiles and logistics ships.

With a large force, powerful weapons and fast maneuverability, aircraft carrier strike groups are the core force helping Washington deploy global power, as well as prevent threats from afar, military expert Alex Lockie emphasized.