U.S. Navy plans major Western Pacific exercises with 4 Aircraft Carriers

Sign on San Diego ^

[MARKUSPRIME]

February 15, 2006

Following the directions of a recently released defense review to shift its focus westward, the Navy plans to hold major exercises involving four aircraft carriers in the Pacific this summer, the Pacific Fleet's commander said yesterday.

It has been at least a decade since four carriers have operated simultaneously in the Pacific, Adm. Gary Roughead, the commander, told an Asian Society luncheon.

[MARKUSPRIME]

Hmm I wonder who they are preparing for. In other news the US now has its own supersonic anti-ship missile to train with its called the Coyote:)

[MARKUSPRIME]

Here is a link to the coyote missile.

http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Orbital_Receives_Contract_From_US_Navy_For_Coyote_Sea_Skimming_Target_Missiles.html

[fizziwig]

That headline could have been November 1941.......

[PureTrouble]

Hmm, what country is in the Western Pacific Ocean that is causing trouble?

[MARKUSPRIME]

Oh I dunno lets guess. They have a large red flag,dont obey economic trade rules,manipulte their currency, bully their democratic neighbors, and threaten to nuke the US if we help the democracies if they attack,and they also have communist leadership with an abysmal human rights record on their own people. Can you figure it out yet?

[BlueNgold]

4 CVNs carry more firepower than most other nations in their entirety.
It's been a long long time since that much iron played together.

[xkaydet65]

Hmm I wonder who they are preparing for. ...

It's not Sri Lanka?????

[ChinaThreat]

This is to shore up East Asia as we get ready to take care of business in Iran. We don't want anyone to get to opportunistic as in Taiwan or the Spratlys if you know what I mean.

[xkaydet65]

If we can develop a target drone with these charateristics, why not the real mccoy?

[wyattearp]

It's been a long long time since that much iron played together.

I'm expecting the more recent (and vocal) of the saber-rattlers to be rather quiet during this exercise. Four bird farms with support ships - man, that's a whole lot of hurt...

[monkeywrench]

Thought you'd be interested in this one.

[PAR35]

That headline could have been November 1941.......

No, only 3 carriers available then. Enterprise (taking reinforcements to Wake), Lexington (getting ready to go to Midway) and Langley (at Manila)

Saratoga was in dry dock at Bremerton.

The Yorktown and Ranger were on anti submarine patrol in the Atlantic. Hornet was brand new and conducting training in the Atlantic; and Wasp was also in the Atlantic, patroling for Axis surface warships and submarines from Bermuda.

[JasonC]

Not that long. In 1991, the USN put 4 CVNs in the gulf plus 2 in the Red Sea. Plus 2 battleships and various surface groups, which between them fired about 300 cruise missiles.

[Laz711]

300 cruise missles, bah, two of the new SSGNs carry more firepower than that, and they aren't sitting targets (sorry, a little submariner ego had to be put into this thread).

[pankot]

Bye Bye Iran.

[Joe Boucher]

Nearly as pretty as a Coulter photo.
Thanks.

[tanknetter]

No, only 3 carriers available then. Enterprise (taking reinforcements to Wake), Lexington (getting ready to go to Midway) and Langley (at Manila)

Langley had been converted to a seaplane tender by that point.

[massgopguy]

Now everyone knows what to get me for my birthday!

[tanknetter]

4 CVNs carry more firepower than most other nations in their entirety. It's been a long long time since that much iron played together.

Five carriers took part in the initial phases of Iraqi Freedom - two in the Med (Truman and Roosevelt), three in the Persian Gulf (Lincoln, Kitty Hawk and Constellation).

I think that the number went up to six for a while when Nimitz showed up to relieve Lincoln ... but it's possible that one or both of the Med carriers had gone home at that point.

[Tallguy]

Langley had been converted to a seaplane tender by that point.

Nice catch...