The rationale for dispersing assets is so that you can’t wipe out an entire military capability with a single attack. It’s just as valid today as it was during the Cold War. The current mantra of consolidating assets to save money is downright suicidal. Do you want al Qaida to be able to shut down the entire Air Force with an attack on a single building? The senior leaders have dropped deep into denial. We’re 90% back to the pre-9/11 “it can’t happen to us” mentality.
(And it really pisses me off when even pro-military press and entertainment refer to Cold War “paranoia”. When the Russians are stating publicly, “Just wait America, just wait. You WILL be ours. Maybe not today, but it WILL happen.” The Chinese and al Qaida are saying the same thing today, and our leaders are choosing to pretend otherwise.)
One thing that changed under Reagan Navy wise I don't agree with was using the Suez canal for carriers again. Even when the Iranian hostage crisis broke out in 79 the JFK went around the Horn to get to the Persian Gulf. The first one too transit Suez since the 1960's was America in 1981.
It seems as well the safety in numbers policy got abandoned somewhere along the way resulting in fleet being over a day out from the COLE when it was attacked in Yemen. Cole should have fueled at sea. Next is the shipyard in the UAE. Anyone think it was just beginners luck Cole got hit where it would go dead in the water?
Hampton Roads though has been a disaster waiting to happen for several decades. The base closures and consolidations into one general area have only made matters worse risk wise. For those Freepers living there this is not to knock your home turf. It is simply the reality of it. You can see the carrier fleet from Hampton Roads I-64 Bridge and Portsmouth Yard from the by-pass I'm pretty certain. Most of the east coast fleet and Naval aviation assets are in a 10-15 miles circle. That policy needs to change fast.