This is a CBS Island the World. I'm John Bachelor with Gordon Chang at Gordon G.

Chang. The challenge in East Asia, the challenge of the island chains, the challenge of the vast specific ocean.

And we welcome Rebecca Grant, president of Iris Independent Research,

of Visiting Fellow of the Lexington Institute. a an opinion piece about the US Navy and its supercarriers.

The Gerald Ford comes to mind immediately.

Supercarriers as presenting the authority of the United States Navy and our allies.

Rebecca, a very good evening to you.

There is a general trend in Navy circles

to go for smaller and more.

That would be the frigates, that would be submarine fleet,

not the great big, large, and vast aircraft carriers

and Arley Burke to Stowers.

Why?

They explained to me that the anti-ship missiles

make aircraft carriers extremely vulnerable.

You, however, present a different understanding

of how an aircraft carrier works.

So very good evening to you, Rebecca.

Good evening, John, and let me tell you the deterrence value of our big Navy aircraft carriers

has never been higher.

They're big. The Ford is a 100,000-ton ship

and she carries an air wing that's very, very effective.

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