미국은 중동에 개입하기 위해 항모가 필요하다

[위종민]

지난 일요일 로이드 오스틴 미 국방장관이 링컨 항모전단을 중동에 배치하도록 지시해, 이미 동지중해에 배치중인 TR 항모전단에 이어 중동 지역에 배치된 항모전단이 2개가 되었네요. 반면 서태평양에 배치된 항모전단은 하나도 없습니다. (ARG만 2개.)

이를 통해 동지중해와 홍해 양측에 항모전단을 배치해 이스라엘을 보호하고 이란을 압박할 수 있다고 합니다. 또한 이란이 항모를 격침시킬만한 수단을 (중국에 비해) 거의 갖고 있지 않기 때문에 항모는 중동에서 매우 유효한 수단이라고 합니다. 

그러나 미군이 보유한 항모의 숫자가 모자라 항모가 혹사당하는 게 문제라고 하네요. TR은 곧 유지보수를 받을 예정이고, 트루먼이 복귀하려면 3~4개월 가량 기다려야 한다고 합니다. USS 니미츠와 USS 아이젠하워가 퇴역하면 11척에서 9척으로 줄어들 수도 있다는데 실제로 항모가 한 자리 숫자로 줄어들지.. 

2022년 1월만 하더라도 중동엔 CVG와 ARG가 하나도 없고 태평양에 4개가 몰려있었는데요... ㅎㅎ ( When Computers Went To Sea | 중동엔 CVG, ARG가 0, 인도-태평양엔 4개 - Daum 카페 )

Israel-Iran Crisis: U.S. Regional Defense Rests on Aircraft Carriers (foreignpolicy.com)

America’s Middle East Defense Rests on Aircraft Carriers

They have big guns, fighter jets, and are hard to kill—with Iran’s weapons, at least.

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln transits the Strait of Hormuz as an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter lifts off from the flight deck on Nov. 19, 2019. Stephanie Contreras-U.S. Navy via Getty Images

With the United States and Israel expecting a military response any minute now from Iran or its proxies for the recent deaths of Hamas’s political leader and Hezbollah’s second-in-command, the most visible presence of the U.S. military in the region is its hulking aircraft carriers. 

On Sunday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that he had ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to accelerate its deployment to the Middle East, leaving the Indo-Pacific empty of carriers. The Lincoln, a ship with a length of nearly 1,100 feet, was accompanied by two squadrons of carrier-launched fighter jets, a guided missile cruiser, and a guided missile destroyer. The United States also sent an additional missile submarine to the region on Sunday night, according to a Pentagon statement.

The Lincoln will join another carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which is already stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean, with its carrier air wing detached on land. It’s the second time in six months that the United States has had two carriers in the region, after sending the USS Gerald Ford and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower back in October. The Eisenhower only just wrapped up its extended deployment in the Middle East. 

“Two carriers is definitely a signal,” said Jerry Hendrix, a retired U.S. Navy captain and a senior fellow at the Sagamore Institute, a U.S.-based think tank. “It allows us to cover both sides of the Middle East. You’ve got one coming out of the Mediterranean—that gives you double coverage to be able to cover down on Israel on one side and lay pressure on Iran on the other side.”

Even as military experts have cast doubt on the carriers’ ability to hold up against Chinese missiles in the Indo-Pacific, which are designed specifically to kill the massive floating airfields, these latest deployments show that carriers continue to be the workhorse of the U.S. Navy when it comes to showing its presence around the world. 

If the White House and Pentagon made the decision to put both aircraft carriers on one side of the Middle East—either in Israel’s Mediterranean backyard or in the Persian Gulf—it would enable the U.S. Navy to have nearly 20 hours a day of continued flight operations from carriers, Hendrix said. And Iran has limited ability to destroy a ship of that size, as it takes a pretty big explosive to kill an aircraft carrier.

“Iran can launch a bunch of weapons at a carrier,” but the ship and its escorts could probably shoot those down, said Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. 

The reason that carriers—already one of the biggest parts of the Navy’s budget because of their size and complexity—are getting so much work during the current Middle East crisis is because they’re so readily deployable, as long as they’re already afloat.

“Carriers are often the responsive option,” said Becca Wasser, a senior fellow for the defense program at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based think tank. “There’s a continued trend of seeing carriers deployed to the Middle East for these deterrence and reassurance missions.”

Wasser said that aircraft carriers have a “renewed importance,” particularly for the Pentagon’s seven-month-old mission to defend Red Sea shipping against strikes from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have been attacking the channel and diverting sea trade around the Horn of Africa. 

It’s not a new phenomenon, either. Before the Pentagon withdrew the last U.S. troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, Austin ordered the USS Ronald Reagan, which typically performs summer patrols in the Western Pacific, to instead provide more firepower to cover the withdrawal—a move that raised eyebrows among Indo-Pacific hands in Washington. 

Read More

The Already Stretched U.S. Military Prepares to Defend Israel

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Jack Detsch

Does Israel’s Conflict with Hezbollah Have an Endgame?

The group would remain a threat to Israel even after a war.

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Daniel Byman

The U.S. Can Do More to Prevent an Israel-Iran War

Genuine pressure on Israel and Hamas to enact a Gaza cease-fire could dial down tensions across the region.

Argument

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Comfort Ero

Though Iran has so far held off from a retaliatory strike against Israel in response to the recent assassinations, it’s not clear that the mere presence of more U.S. assets will deter Tehran. “It’s hard to measure whether all of these deployments have the requisite deterrent effect,” Wasser added. 

But even if it doesn’t have a deterrent effect on the Iranians, the carrier has been a major part of air defense efforts in the region in the past several months, said Clark.

“F-18s launching off the carrier go out, and they shoot down these drones and missiles well before they get to the ships,” he said. “Because if it’s a slow-moving drone and you’re a fast-moving jet, you just fly up to it and shoot it.” And if the F-18s can’t get there, the U.S. Marines have EA-18G Growlers, a specialized version of the Super Hornet that can jam Iranian drones and missiles. 

But the work rate is taking its toll. The USS Roosevelt is soon supposed to go home and into maintenance. The USS Truman is only just coming out of maintenance, and won’t show up for another three to four months. The USS Nimitz and USS Eisenhower are in pre-decommission cycles, and when they are taken out of service, it will cut the number of active U.S. aircraft carriers from 11 to nine. The USS Stennis is in the second phase of its midlife overhaul, which includes a fresh coat of paint as well as refurbished propellers and rudders. And the USS Washington is heading to the Pacific, but it’s supposed to go back into the shop at the beginning of 2025. 

“It’s kind of unsustainable,” Clark said. “There may not be a carrier available to go to the Pacific because it may have to go to the Middle East, because there’s no more carriers on the East Coast.”

USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Aug. 12, 2024

USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker: Aug. 12, 2024

U.S. Naval Institute Staff

August 12, 2024 2:57 PM - Updated: August 12, 2024 3:36 PM

USNI News Graphic

These are the approximate positions of the U.S. Navy’s deployed carrier strike groups and amphibious ready groups throughout the world as of Aug. 12, 2024, based on Navy and public data. In cases where a CSG or ARG is conducting disaggregated operations, the chart reflects the location of the capital ship.

Ships Underway

Total Battle Force	Deployed	Underway
297 (USS 237, USNS 60)	105 (USS 74, USNS 31)	87 (55 Deployed, 32 Local)

In the Philippine Sea

Sailors and Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) board a CH-53E Super Stallion aboard the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA-6) during a mass casualty response training event, Aug. 10, 2024. US Navy Photo

Amphibious warship USS America (LHA-4) is underway conducting routine operations in the Philippine Sea. America will change homeports later this year, USNI News has learned.

In the Sulu Sea

Aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (CVH-550), flagship of the Italian Navy’s Fleet, left, and the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), flagship of Carrier Strike Group Three, sail alongside the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121) on Aug. 9, 2024. US Navy Photo

Aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) departed Guam on Friday, after concluding a routine port visit.

The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and the Italian Cavour Carrier Strike Group operated in the Philippine Sea last week, USNI News reported.

Abraham Lincoln has been ordered to transit to the Middle East to relieve USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) which is currently operating in U.S. Central Command.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin ordered the strike group to accelerate its transit on Sunday, according to a Pentagon statement.

Carrier Strike Group 3

Cmdr. Matt Adams, commanding officer of the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG-111), oversees refueling-at-sea with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) on Aug. 11, 2024. US Navy Photo

Carrier
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), homeported at San Diego, Calif.

Carrier Air Wing 9

An F-35C Lightning II, assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314, prepares to make an arrested landing on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) on Aug. 9, 2024. US Navy Photo

• The “Tophatters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
• The “Black Aces” of VFA 41 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
• The “Black Knights” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314 – F-35C – from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif.
• The “Vigilantes” of VFA 151 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
• The “Wizards” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 133 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
• The “Wallbangers” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 117 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
• The “Providers” of Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
• The “Raptors” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 71 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
• The “Chargers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 14 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island.

Cruiser
The carrier strike group did not deploy with a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser. Instead, USS Frank Petersen, Jr. (DDG-121) has taken the role of the cruiser in the strike group, USNI News has learned.

Destroyer Squadron 21

USS Spruance (DDG-111) sails alongside the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) on Aug. 7, 2024. US Navy Photo

Destroyer Squadron 21 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Abraham Lincoln.

• USS Frank Petersen (DDG-121), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
• USS Spruance (DDG-111), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
• USS O’Kane (DDG-77), homeported at Naval Station San Diego.

In Busan, South Korea

Seaman Apprentice Deshon Newton, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, aboard USS Boxer (LHD-4) on Aug. 4, 2024. US Navy Photo

The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group is operating in U.S. 7th Fleet. Boxer arrived in Busan, South Korea, on Friday for a port visit.

Boxer has elements of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked.

In Koror, Palau

U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) arrives off the coast of Palau prior to a scheduled port visit, Aug. 10, 2024. US Navy Photo

U.S. 7th Fleet command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) arrived in Koror, Palau, on Saturday for a scheduled port visit.

In the Mediterranean Sea

USS Wasp (LHD 1) pulls into Limassol, Cyprus, for a port visit, Aug. 8, 2024. US Navy Photo

Amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD-1) arrived in Limassol, Cyprus, on Thursday for a regularly scheduled port visit.

The Wasp Amphibious Ready Group with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked deployed from the East Coast on June 1. The ARG is made up of Wasp, USS New York (LPD-21) and USS Oak Hill (LSD-51).

The 24th MEU is composed of a command element, Battalion Landing Team 1/8, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 (Reinforced) and Combat Logistics Battalion 24 as the Logistics Combat Element.

Marines from the 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company, assigned to Task Force 61/2, conduct dive operations with Ohio-class guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN-729) while underway in the Mediterranean Sea July 31, 2024. US Navy Photo

On Sunday, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the U.S. was deploying the guided-missile submarine USS Georgia (SSGN-729) to the Middle East. The Ohio-class guided-missile submarine carries 154 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles as well as special operations forces.

According to a release from U.S. 6th Fleet, Georgia has been operating in the Mediterranean.

In the Red Sea

U.S. ships continue to patrol the Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, the U.S.-led multinational effort to protect merchant vessels moving through the region. Houthi forces in Yemen continue to attack merchant shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, while U.S. naval forces in the region have continued strikes against Houthi weapons that U.S. Central Command says are a threat to naval and merchant ships. Houthi forces say they are targeting ships with connections to the United Kingdom, the U.S. and Israel.

The U.N. Security Council on Jan. 10 approved a resolution calling on Yemen’s Houthi rebel group to “cease its brazen” attacks in the Red Sea.

On Friday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces destroyed a Houthi missile launcher and one uncrewed surface vessel in Yemen. Additionally, USCENTCOM forces shot down two Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles over the Red Sea.

On Thursday, CENTCOM forces destroyed two Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles and a ground control station in Yemen. CENTCOM forces also destroyed one Houthi uncrewed surface vessel in the Red Sea.

On Wednesday, CENTCOM forces destroyed two Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles, one Houthi ground control station and three Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

On Tuesday, CENTCOM forces shot down one Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicle and two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles launched from Yemen over the Red Sea.

On Monday, CENTCOM forces shot down three Houthi uncrewed aerial systems launched from Yemen over the Gulf of Aden.

Additionally, CENTCOM forces successfully destroyed one Iranian-backed Houthi UAS in Yemen.

Separately, CENTCOM forces successfully destroyed one Houthi uncrewed surface vessel, one Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicle and one Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile in the Red Sea.

In the Persian Gulf

U.S. Coast Guard Sentinel-class Fast Response Cutters are forward-deployed to the region under Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA). PATFORSWA deploys Coast Guard personnel and ships with U.S. and regional naval forces throughout the Middle East. Initially deployed in 2003 to support Operation Iraqi Freedom, PATFORSWA is now a permanent presence based out of the Kingdom of Bahrain.

In the Gulf of Oman

Sailors participate in flight operations while an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 154, taxis across the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), July 31, 2024. US Navy Photo

USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is operating in the Gulf of Oman.

Carrier Strike Group 9

A C-2A Greyhound aircraft, assigned to Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40, lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) on Aug. 2, 2024. US Navy Photo

Carrier
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), homeported at San Diego, Calif.

Carrier Air Wing 11

• The “Fist of the Fleet” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 25 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif.
• The “Black Knights” of VFA 154 – F/A-18F – from Naval Air Station Lemoore.
• The “Blue Blasters” of VFA 34 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
• The “Fighting Checkmates” of VFA 211 – F/A-18E – from Naval Air Station Oceana.
• The “Rooks” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 137 – EA-18G – from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash.
• The “Liberty Bells” of Airborne Command and Control Squadron (VAW) 115 – E-2D – from Naval Air Station Point Mugu, Calif.
• The “Providers” of Fleet Logistics Squadron (VRC) 40 – C-2A – from Naval Station Norfolk, Va.
• The “Wolf Pack” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 75 – MH-60R – from Naval Air Station North Island, Calif.
• The “Eightballers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 8 – MH-60S – from Naval Air Station North Island.

Cruiser
The carrier strike group did not deploy with a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser. USS Lake Erie (CG-70) trained with the strike group but did not deploy. Instead, USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118), has taken the role of the cruiser in the strike group, USNI News has learned.

Destroyer Squadron 23

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118), back, and the Pakistan Navy Yarmook-class corvette PNS Yarmook (F-271) conduct a passing exercise, July 26, 2024. US Navy Photo

Destroyer Squadron 23 is based in San Diego and is embarked on Theodore Roosevelt.

• USS John S. McCain (DDG-56), homeported at Naval Station Everett, Wash.
• USS Halsey (DDG-97), homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif.
• USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118), homeported at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

In the Eastern Pacific

Sailors aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) conduct flight operations while underway in U.S. 3rd Fleet on Aug. 11, 2024. US Navy Photo

The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) is approaching the U.S. West Coast after completing the Rim of the Pacific 2024 multi-national exercise off the coast of Hawaii.

Aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) departed San Diego, Calif., on Saturday, according to ship spotters.

Aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) remains in San Diego, Calif., for a scheduled port visit before transiting the Pacific Ocean en route its new homeport in Yokosuka, Japan.

In the Western Atlantic

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Aircraft Handling) 1st Class John Grandy, a native of Evant, Texas, guides an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to the ‘Pukin’ Dogs’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 143, for takeoff on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), Aug. 6, 2024. US Navy Photo

Aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) is in the midst of its Composite Training Unit Exercise ahead of its planned deployment later this year.

In addition to these major formations, not shown are others serving in submarines, individual surface ships, aircraft squadrons, SEALs, Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Forces, Seabees, EOD Mobile Units and more serving throughout the globe.

[백선호]

키신저가 항모는 소련과 싸울 때가 아니라 제3세계 분쟁에 개입할 때 쓰는 물건이라는 생각을 했죠.

http://cafe.daum.net/NTDS/5q4/357

[위종민]

2차대전 당시 갑판이 나무였던 미국 항모와는 달리 장갑항모였던 영국 항모들은 카미카제에 피해가 덜했는데, 거의 2차대전 전함 수준으로 비행갑판이 두꺼운 항모가 강대국간의 전쟁 시에 생존성이 얼마나 됐을 지.. 역시 미사일보다는 잠수함이 날리는 어뢰가 더 유효했을까요? ㅎㅎ

이제는 전쟁 났다고 핵추진 항모를 1년에 2, 3척 씩 뽑아낼 수 있는 나라도 없는 것 같으니 정말 귀중하게 다뤄야 될 텐데요.