The purpose of this study is to explore the role of capital ships in U.S. naval strategy from the end of the Cold War until this day. The study analyses the capital ships’ role within U.S. naval strategy and how this has developed over time. Furthermore the study discusses the future of the supercarrier as the U.S. capital ship. An unambiguous definition of what a capital ship actually is does not exist. The study has therefore used a comparative historic approach in order to define the capital ship.
The definition is: They are the most important ships of their time, they ensure conditions that permit other forces or functions to perform their respective role. In wartime, capital ships secure the use of the sea.
The study is explorative and answers the research question through a qualitative approach and uses theory of naval strategy and Ken Booth’s Naval Trinity as the analytical framework.
The results show, that the supercarrier has been elevated to almost mythological status in the U.S. Navy and institutions, and it will probably take a major war to challenge this status. The supercarrier has become a symbol of U.S. supremacy, and the pillar on which all U.S. naval strategic thinking is done.
However, with the advent of near peer completion on the world’s oceans the Navy is now struggling to define its military role. Its role as a tool of diplomacy on the other hand is very well defined and value-laden.
It was once stated, “capital ships are built to prevent war”, and the U.S. is certainly placing a lot of faith on this approach
