The US navy has more carriers than all navies of today's superpowers combined, but analysts say this might be the navy's ultimate weakness. The United States of America has the only navy in the world that is overly-dependent on the aircraft carrier.
As reported by Reuters, President Trump plans to increase funding for the navy and to increase the number of aircraft carriers from 10 to 12. Currently the budget for the navy is at $36 billion and will rise upon approval of the Trump's naval expansion program.
The aircraft carrier came into importance during World War II, during the island hopping campaigns in the Pacific. The vast ocean of the Pacific theatre forced Japan and the United States to adopt naval strategies that ultimately center around the Aircraft carrier. Epic engagements such as the Battle of the Coral sea, The Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine sea are all naval encounters where carrier fleets battle out without visual sight of each other.
However, analysts and commentator like Alex Jones of Infowars, are cautious about the said naval program of the president as they fear that aircraft carriers, in today's modern theatre are largely sitting ducks. This is due to the rapid advance of technology in the areas of stealth and long-range ordinance delivery systems.
In a largely classified war exercise, Reuters reported that the US navy "lost" carriers continually against a French submarine. Though most of the data are not available to the public at the moment, this shows the massive threat submarines has to carriers.
China and Russia both have developed missile technology that can easily target offshore aircraft carriers in ranges far beyond current aircraft capabilities. Also, both countries have poured resources on submarine technology, which is also a massive threat to aircraft carriers, especially those equipped with long range missiles. However, at the moment, if the move comes to fruition, the US navy will have two more carriers added to its roster.
