During the aftermath of the earthquakes in Haiti, the US Navy rushed an aircraft carrier with a skeleton crew on board to provide assistance. It had no manpower to search for survivors or provide assistance. It didn't have helicopters to move supplies ashore. It was a case of image over substance.
All this leads to the situation the Navy finds itself in today. Too few aircraft, too much ocean and not enough ships to go around.
The solution is simple. Fix the Navy by adding an angled flight deck to the America class LHD and get numbers, reinvigorate rotary winged aviation in Navy use and get almost 40 F-35C's (or F/A-18's) on board. Oh and be advised. We've done this before. We did the same thing to straight decked aircraft carriers after World War 2 and we were served well by the modifications.
Putting angled flight decks on the America class would be the first step to the Navy buying Ford's not Ferrari's. We should start the planning today.
UPDATE:
A world war 2 aircraft carrier was under 30,000 tons in wieght and carried 100 aircraft. When they were refitted witth hurricane bows and angled flight decks they still came in under 50,000 tons and operated primitve jet aircraft...meaning weak engines and avionics.
We can make a 40,000 ton carrier with an angled flight deck out of the America class and still operate 50 aircraft. If we take the space used for Marines and equipment then its beyond doable, its easy! It can be done today, all it takes is the will.
