Carrier: A Guided Tour of an Aircraft Carrier

Tom Clancy: If you were going to sit here today and describe what CVX will become, what would be your vision of that carrier when it arrives sometime in the 21st century?

Admiral Johnson: Let me do this based upon my own experience. I started on the Orisknay [CV-34, a modernized World War II-era Essex-class (CV-9/SCB-27C) carrier], and I've flown on and off of everything from the Midway [CVA-41] to a number of the Nimitz-class [CVN-68] nuclear carriers. I would tell you that what I want CVX to provide is the same kind of flexibility as you can get out of a Nimitz-class carrier. I also want it to be able to deliver many of the same kinds of services and benefits that we already get from carriers right now. I especially want it to be able to move around the same way.This ship has implications from the strategic level all the way down to tactical implications-like whether I can crank up enough wind over the deck to be able to land an aircraft with the flaps stuck in the 'up' position. So we need tremendous flexibility out of this platform, including areas like berthing, data networks, sensors, and tactical systems.The CVX will also need to be an 'open architecture' ship, so that we can 'net' it into the new kinds of 'network centric' battle forces that we want to build in the 21st century. We will want to have distributed sensor and firepower capabilities spread throughout the battle group in ways that allow us to have situational awareness on every platform, both ships and aircraft, and not just the carrier. The carrier is still going to be the core ship of the CVBG. Therefore, it will still need to have flexibility on the flight deck, in the systems that it carries, and in habitability, to ensure a decent quality of life for the crew that will man it. I believe that the Navy in the 21st century will continue to be a forward-deployed force, and given that reality, this ship is a blank sheet of paper in every way.

Tom Clancy: Does that mean that you see every feature of the CVX as being open for new ideas?

Admiral Johnson: As far as I'm concerned, yes. Propulsion, sensors, catapult systems- they are all open to new and innovative ideas, should they be offered or presented. Now, when we talk about a CVX-type carrier, we're talking about a ship that will arrive at a time where the dominant aircraft it will carry will be the new Joint Strike Fighter [JSF], the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and something we call the Common Support Aircraft [CSA]. So this ship will have to be optimized to our vision for operating those future aircraft, none of which are operational today.

Tom Clancy: I've heard some of the people involved in the design and development of CVX call this the first non-Navy or 'CinC's' [regional commander in chief's] carrier. Given your own use of carriers during Haiti in 1994, would you concur with this view?

Admiral Johnson: We're saying the same thing. As I mentioned earlier, we're looking for open architecture and connectivity to be able to deal with operations ashore, as well as the Joint Task Force [JTF] commanders in the field, and to handle whatever other circumstances may arise. When you're trying to shape the battlespace and respond to emerging situations, then a battle group commander is going to have to be responsible for a full spectrum of crises. Whether it's a little bitty event or the biggest situation, a commander needs a carrier that can respond on the spot. That's what we need to embed in the CVX design.It will be very exciting to see the kinds of things that we'll be coming out with in areas like catapult and arresting gear technology, combat systems upgrades, and other new systems. We'll be looking at the proper air wing aircraft mix, including V/STOL [vertical/short takeoff and landing] or STOL [short takeoff and landing] kinds of airplanes, for this new platform. Everything is wide open right now.

Tom Clancy: While I know that your first passion is naval aviation and carriers, I also know that you are passionate about modernizing the submarine force as well. Tell us, if you would, a little about Seawolf b[SSN-21] and the New Attack Submarine [NSSN] programs?

Admiral Johnson: I recently took a ride on Seawolf, and it is awesome. The best submarine that has ever been built in the world, period. The Seawolf is truly, truly a magnificent submarine-and remember, I'm a fighter pilot saying this! I took some submariners with me on the Seawolf, and watched their reactions, listened to their comments, and made my own observations. All of that convinced me that this is an awesome platform. I can't wait to get it into the fleet, as well as the two others that come behind it.After the Seawolf, we move into NSSN, where we're going to use a special teaming arrangement between General Dynamics Electric Boat Division and Newport News Shipbuilding. The idea is to try and get the cost down so we can afford to buy them in the numbers that we'll be needing to replace the Los Angeles-class [SSN-688] boats when they retire.

Tom Clancy: Let's talk about aircraft procurement. It's been a really tough decade for the Navy with regards to new aircraft procurement. There hasn't been a single new tactical aircraft for the sea services in more than two decades. Are you comfortable with the current Navy aircraft development and procurement strategy?

Admiral Johnson: Yes. We've made some workable plans to upgrade our aircraft. Though I must point out that if you were to look at a graphic depiction of the last twenty years, it would tell you that we're coming out of something that looks like a bathtub with regards to new aircraft deliveries. I know that we need to buy new airplanes, the plans are in place to begin to acquire them, and I think that we have the platforms and programs that can deliver in a way that makes sense for Naval aviation.The current plan covers the V-22 Osprey for the Marines, the strike fighters we've already talked about, T-45 trainers for our undergraduate training programs, and H-60 airframes for ASW and fleet replenishment. I know that sounds like a lot of aircraft, but we're working our way out of a period when we were lucky to buy more than just a couple of airplanes a year.

Tom Clancy: Since money is going to be the determining factor in making these procurement plans into reality, one wonders how well the Congress is receiving your message about the value of naval aviation. Just how well are you getting that message across?

Admiral Johnson: You'd have to ask them how well we're doing. But from my perspective, when I go talk or testify to Congress, I see a lot of support.

Tom Clancy: If you don't mind, let's run down those aircraft programs one at a time and get a comment on each from you.

Admiral Johnson:

F/A-18E/F Super Hornet — From my standpoint, this is a model program. The aircraft is meeting or exceeding every milestone and specification that we've put out there. It's a wonderful airplane. I've flown it, and though it's bigger than the F/A-18C/D Hornet, it flies 'smaller.' I say this publicly and I mean it. This plane is the corner-stone of our future Navy air wing. Over the next two decades, they will first replace our fleet of F-14 Tomcats, and eventually our older F/A- 18's. By the end of the next decade, we will have three squadrons [with twelve aircraft per squadron] of these aboard every carrier.

Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) — This bird will eventually replace the newest of our F/A-18C Hornets and Marine AV-8B Harrier IIs, which we are buying right now. Initially, each carrier air wing [CVW] will have a single squadron of JSFs, with fourteen aircraft per squadron. When CVX-78 arrives, this will give it a total of 36 F/A-18E/Fs and 14 JSFs. We expect the concept demonstration and fly-off between Lockheed Martin and Boeing to happen in 2001.V-22 Osprey-Even though this is technically a Marine Corps airplane with Marine