ACIBC - Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition

Historical Significance

Aircraft carriers have been the cornerstone of naval strategy and power projection since World War II.
Since 1961, the U.S. Navy has contracted for aircraft carrier construction entirely with Northrop Grumman Newport News, the only shipyard in the U.S. equipped to build, overhaul, and refuel large-deck, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
In 1961, Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company (now Northrop Grumman Newport News) built the first large-deck, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise (CVN 65), and since that time, has constructed all 10 nuclear-powered carriers of the NIMITZ class.
Aircraft carriers have been employed in every major and many smaller global conflicts including Vietnam; Grenada and Lebanon (1983); Libya (1986); Operation Desert Storm (1991); and most recently in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Size Matters

Sea keeping - Only an aircraft carrier can routinely operate in many crisis areas of the world where other ships seek merely to stay afloat.
Flexibility - Size gives the operational flexibility to work a large air wing in a variety of configurations and provides persistence with fuel and ammunition stocks.
Survivability – Nuclear power allows the CVN to move into a 700 square mile area of uncertainty in 30 minutes. The air wing, strike group, and carrier’s organic defenses present the enemy with a layered, robust defense even if the carrier is precisely located. If struck, the carrier’s size provides the redundancy, capacity, and staying power to be able to take a hit and keep on fighting.

Nothing Else Even Comes Close

The cost of a large deck, nuclear aircraft carrier (CVN) has led to study after study to discover new ways to provide what the CVN provides – performance improving and increased war fighting capabilities at a lower cost to the nation.
Every study has come to the same conclusion – the era of the large capacity, nuclear powered aircraft carrier has just begun. Far from being a military dinosaur, it is transforming to meet new threats and incorporate new capabilities.
The approved force of 11 CVNs, comprised of Nimitz-class and its successor, CVN 21, is essential to the national security of America for at least 50 more years.
In 50 years the aircraft carrier has evolved from an interesting experiment in sea-based reconnaissance to the centerpiece of the most powerful Navy in the world’s history.

Carrier Force Level

The Chief of Naval Operation’s (CNO) 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan calls for maintaining the force level at 11 carriers to ensure carrier availability in case of a crisis.
Any reductions in carrier force level would pose a risk to the national security of the United States and the stability of its allies around the world.
The current carrier force includes: Kitty Hawk (commissioned – 1961); John F. Kennedy (1968); Enterprise (1961); Nimitz (1975); Dwight D. Eisenhower (1977); Carl Vinson (1982); Theodore Roosevelt (1986); Abraham Lincoln (1989); George Washington (1992); John C. Stennis (1995); Harry S. Truman (1998); and Ronald Reagan (2003).

Navy Aircraft Carrier Acquisition Program

The Navy’s carrier acquisition program, CVN 21, is planned to be a 12-ship class – the first seven of which are in the Navy’s 30 year Shipbuilding Plan between 2008 and 2031.
CVN 78, the first ship, has recently been named after the 38th President of the United States, GERALD R. FORD. The FY08 President’s Budget includes funds to begin construction of CVN 78 and advanced procurement for CVN 79.
The USS GEORGE W. BUSH (CVN 77), the last NIMITZ-class carrier, is expected to enter service in 2008 as a replacement to USS KITTY HAWK (CV-63).
CVN 78 is expected to enter service in 2015, as a replacement for the USS ENTERPRISE (CVN 65), which will be 53 years old.

The Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition

The Aircraft Carrier Industrial Base Coalition (ACIBC) represents more than 2,000 companies, including both large and small firms, from 46 states.
Founded in 2004, the coalition is made up of the small, mid-sized and large businesses from across the nation that provide design services, material, equipment and technology to construct, operate and maintain U.S. Navy aircraft carriers.
The coalition seeks to preserve the strength of the aircraft carrier force structure and promote the value of the aircraft carrier industrial base by educating policymakers and other stakeholders about the vital role that aircraft carriers play as the dominant sea-based platform in the defense of our nation.