08
October 2015
Past Event
Sharpening the Spear: Report Release on the Future of the Aircraft Carrier

Sharpening the Spear: Report Release on the Future of the Aircraft Carrier

Past Event
Rayburn House Office Building
October 08, 2015
Default Event Image
08
October 2015
Past Event

45 Independence Ave SW, Room 2226
Washington, DC 20515

Speakers:
Congressman J. Randy Forbes (R-VA)

U.S. Representative for Virginia

Seth Cropsey

President, Yorktown Institute

Bryan McGrath

Former Deputy Director, Center for American Seapower

timothy_walton
Timothy A. Walton

Senior Fellow, Center for Defense Concepts and Technology

Ronald O’Rourke

Specialist in National Defense, Congressional Research Service

Robert Martinage

Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments

The aircraft carrier has served as the lynchpin of American naval power for eight decades. However, given their cost and mounting Anti-Access/Area Denial threats, many observers have questioned whether it is worthwhile to continue to build large, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. In a new report, Hudson Institute’s Center for American Seapower provides a comprehensive analysis of the future of the aircraft carrier. Sharpening the Spear: The Carrier, the Joint Force, and High-End Conflict examines the role of Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) in high-end conflict, identifying capabilities and vulnerabilities, and offering innovative recommendations for policymakers and military strategists in terms of concepts, capabilities, and capacities. The report concludes that while many criticisms of the platform have merit, the unmatched flexibility and adaptability of the aircraft carrier will continue to make it a critical Navy contribution to joint U.S. warfighting capabilities.

On October 8th, Hudson released the report at an event in the Rayburn House Office Building. Congressman J. Randy Forbes (R-VA) gave keynote remarks on the role of the carrier in future warfighting. Bryan McGrath, deputy director of the Center for American Seapower, gave an overview of the report’s key insights, and Seth Cropsey, director of the Center for American Seapower, moderated a panel on the importance of the carrier in American military strategy. The panel featured Ronald O’Rourke, specialist in national defense at the Congressional Research Service; Robert Martinage, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments; and Timothy A. Walton, co-author of the report and principal at Alios Consulting Group.

Click here to view Bryan McGrath's and Timothy Walton's PowerPoint slides.

Related Events
08
November 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
North American Energy Preeminence Forum
Featured Speakers:
John Desjarlais
Lisa Baiton
Thomas J. Duesterberg
Julia Nesheiwat
Rachel Ziemba
Paul Dabbar
Robert Asselin
George Christidis
Brian McCormick
Christopher Sands
Steve Myers
Michael Catanzaro
Moderators:
Brigham McCown
Heather Exner-Pirot
Jamie Tronnes
Pumpjack in a field with snow covered mountains in Alberta, Canada. (Michael Interisano/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
08
November 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
North American Energy Preeminence Forum

Join Hudson and the Macdonald-Laurier Institute for a daylong conference with energy and security experts, industry representatives, and policymakers. The forum will discuss how Washington and Ottawa can work together to leverage emerging technologies and North America’s abundant energy resources to build energy security and limit authoritarian states’ influence in global energy markets.

Pumpjack in a field with snow covered mountains in Alberta, Canada. (Michael Interisano/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
John Desjarlais
Lisa Baiton
Thomas J. Duesterberg
Julia Nesheiwat
Rachel Ziemba
Paul Dabbar
Robert Asselin
George Christidis
Brian McCormick
Christopher Sands
Steve Myers
Michael Catanzaro
Moderators:
Brigham McCown
Heather Exner-Pirot
Jamie Tronnes
12
November 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Myth of American Inequality
Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Senator Phil Gramm
US flags fly in front of the White House on October 3, 2024. (Valerie Plesch/picture alliance via Getty Images)
12
November 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
The Myth of American Inequality

At Hudson, Senator Gramm and Hudson President and CEO John P. Walters will discuss how economic statistics suggest cohesion rather than divergence among Americans, and why this cohesion is likely to continue.

US flags fly in front of the White House on October 3, 2024. (Valerie Plesch/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
John P. Walters
Senator Phil Gramm
13
November 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Addressing Threats to Digital Rights in Hong Kong
Featured Speakers:
Olivia Enos
Ambassador Derek Mitchell
Anouk Wear
Yaqiu Wang
Joey Siu
An electronics shop employee in Hong Kong on October 18, 2017, looks at television sets showing a news report on China's President Xi Jinping's speech at the opening session of the Chinese Communist Party's five-yearly Congress. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)
13
November 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Addressing Threats to Digital Rights in Hong Kong

Join Hudson for an expert panel event that will discuss Hong Kong Watch’s latest report, Invisible Decline: Violations of Digital Rights in Hong Kong and Their Impact.

An electronics shop employee in Hong Kong on October 18, 2017, looks at television sets showing a news report on China's President Xi Jinping's speech at the opening session of the Chinese Communist Party's five-yearly Congress. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images)
Featured Speakers:
Olivia Enos
Ambassador Derek Mitchell
Anouk Wear
Yaqiu Wang
Joey Siu
13
November 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Competing with China on Critical Minerals
Featured Speakers:
Mike Gallagher
James Litinsky
An aerial view of the Mountain Pass mining facility in California. (MP Materials)
13
November 2024
In-Person Event | Hudson Institute
Competing with China on Critical Minerals

Hudson’s Mike Gallagher will host James Litinsky, chairman and CEO of MP Materials, to discuss the role of these vital resources in PRC-US competition and what Washington can do to emerge victorious.

An aerial view of the Mountain Pass mining facility in California. (MP Materials)
Featured Speakers:
Mike Gallagher
James Litinsky