1 00:00:01,340 --> 00:00:03,396 By the time the US Navy commissioned 2 00:00:03,396 --> 00:00:06,060 its first aircraft carrier on March 20 , 3 00:00:06,690 --> 00:00:08,468 it had been actively seeking to 4 00:00:08,468 --> 00:00:10,468 leverage air power for more than 20 5 00:00:10,468 --> 00:00:14,400 years . In the ensuing 6 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:16,690 years , aviation found many supporters 7 00:00:16,700 --> 00:00:20,480 in uniform and in industry . These men 8 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:22,702 became enthusiastic about the potential 9 00:00:22,702 --> 00:00:24,790 of airplanes as fleet scouts and by 10 00:00:24,790 --> 00:00:28,120 1909 , many naval officers , including 11 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:30,500 a bureau chief , urged the purchase of 12 00:00:30,500 --> 00:00:34,280 aircraft . In the early 13 00:00:34,280 --> 00:00:36,680 1910s , the Navy experimented with take 14 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:38,870 offs and landings from ships and sent 15 00:00:38,870 --> 00:00:40,759 the first naval officer to flight 16 00:00:40,759 --> 00:00:42,926 training , which eventually led to the 17 00:00:42,926 --> 00:00:45,092 first successful catapult launch of an 18 00:00:45,092 --> 00:00:47,314 airplane from a ship . When the U . S . 19 00:00:47,314 --> 00:00:49,426 Entered World War One , the fledgling 20 00:00:49,426 --> 00:00:51,648 Naval Air Force was too poorly equipped 21 00:00:51,648 --> 00:00:53,870 to effectively wage war . However , the 22 00:00:53,870 --> 00:00:55,870 Naval Reserve Flying Corps produced 23 00:00:55,870 --> 00:00:58,203 thousands of aviators , ground officers , 24 00:00:58,203 --> 00:01:00,314 mechanics and technical specialists , 25 00:01:00,840 --> 00:01:02,600 aircraft of many types entered 26 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:04,720 production and in the end , naval 27 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:07,260 aviation achieved a good wartime record . 28 00:01:10,230 --> 00:01:12,008 These successes propelled naval 29 00:01:12,008 --> 00:01:15,290 aviation forward and on July 11 , 1919 , 30 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:17,622 the Naval Appropriations Act for Fiscal 31 00:01:17,622 --> 00:01:20,380 Year 1920 was passed and included the 32 00:01:20,380 --> 00:01:22,490 conversion of the fuel ship Jupiter 33 00:01:22,500 --> 00:01:24,556 into an aircraft carrier among other 34 00:01:24,556 --> 00:01:26,860 provisions . Four months later , the 35 00:01:26,860 --> 00:01:28,749 Bureau of Construction and repair 36 00:01:28,749 --> 00:01:30,916 issued specifications that included an 37 00:01:30,916 --> 00:01:33,260 unobstructed flying on and flying off 38 00:01:33,260 --> 00:01:35,660 deck storage base for aircraft 39 00:01:36,140 --> 00:01:38,580 facilities for repair of aircraft and 40 00:01:38,580 --> 00:01:40,691 provisions for catapults to be fitted 41 00:01:40,691 --> 00:01:42,691 on both forward and aft ends of the 42 00:01:42,691 --> 00:01:43,691 flying off deck . 43 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:49,360 In 1922 Lieutenant Virgil Griffin 44 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:51,582 successfully completed the Navy's first 45 00:01:51,582 --> 00:01:54,960 carrier takeoff on october 17th 1922 46 00:01:56,140 --> 00:01:58,510 Nine days later on october 26th , 47 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:00,742 Lieutenant Commander Godfried Chevalier 48 00:02:00,742 --> 00:02:02,742 made the first landing on board the 49 00:02:02,742 --> 00:02:04,687 carrier while she steamed off Cape 50 00:02:04,687 --> 00:02:08,280 Henry Virginia on november 17th 51 00:02:08,290 --> 00:02:10,680 1924 . After more than two years of 52 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:12,840 experimentation , Langley reported to 53 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:14,507 the Battle fleet as the first 54 00:02:14,507 --> 00:02:16,729 operational aircraft carrier in the U . 55 00:02:16,729 --> 00:02:19,580 S . Navy aircraft carriers , Lexington 56 00:02:19,580 --> 00:02:21,540 and Saratoga , built on incomplete 57 00:02:21,540 --> 00:02:24,130 battle cruiser hulls soon followed and 58 00:02:24,130 --> 00:02:26,019 the fleet began integrating naval 59 00:02:26,019 --> 00:02:27,852 aviation using a series of fleet 60 00:02:27,852 --> 00:02:30,060 Problem exercises to test various 61 00:02:30,060 --> 00:02:30,960 capabilities . 62 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,890 On September 26 , 1932 , the Keel was 63 00:02:37,890 --> 00:02:40,380 laid for the future USS Ranger , the 64 00:02:40,380 --> 00:02:42,980 first US Navy ship designed and built 65 00:02:42,990 --> 00:02:45,323 from the keel up as an aircraft carrier . 66 00:02:46,270 --> 00:02:48,492 She was commissioned a little less than 67 00:02:48,492 --> 00:02:51,050 two years later on June 4 , 1934 . 68 00:02:54,620 --> 00:02:57,350 In the years leading up to December 7 , 69 00:02:57,350 --> 00:03:00,310 1941 and World War II . Naval aviation 70 00:03:00,310 --> 00:03:01,977 focused on improving existing 71 00:03:01,977 --> 00:03:03,977 technology and developing practical 72 00:03:03,977 --> 00:03:06,199 skills in the cockpit and on the flight 73 00:03:06,199 --> 00:03:08,400 deck . Among other technological 74 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,567 advances , aircraft were equipped with 75 00:03:10,567 --> 00:03:12,789 stronger landing gear and designed with 76 00:03:12,789 --> 00:03:14,760 folding wings . These and other 77 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:16,704 advances drove improvements to the 78 00:03:16,704 --> 00:03:18,871 ships from which they flew , including 79 00:03:18,871 --> 00:03:21,149 hydraulic arresting gear and catapults , 80 00:03:21,149 --> 00:03:23,371 as well as the addition of equipment to 81 00:03:23,371 --> 00:03:25,260 enable night an instrument flight 82 00:03:27,140 --> 00:03:29,680 aircraft carriers , Yorktown Enterprise 83 00:03:29,690 --> 00:03:31,660 Wasp and Hornet joined the fleet 84 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:35,773 when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor . 85 00:03:35,773 --> 00:03:37,996 There were just eight aircraft carriers 86 00:03:37,996 --> 00:03:40,107 in the inventory and it would be more 87 00:03:40,107 --> 00:03:42,273 than a year before the ninth , U . S . 88 00:03:42,273 --> 00:03:44,270 S . Essex was commissioned . Air 89 00:03:44,270 --> 00:03:46,326 operations in the atlantic consisted 90 00:03:46,326 --> 00:03:48,437 mainly of blockading and campaigns to 91 00:03:48,437 --> 00:03:49,460 protect convoys 92 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:54,660 with the pacific fleet , battleship 93 00:03:54,660 --> 00:03:56,710 force in tatters . Naval aviation 94 00:03:56,710 --> 00:04:00,480 carried the fight to the enemy . Just 95 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:02,424 five months after the Pearl Harbor 96 00:04:02,424 --> 00:04:04,536 attack , a daring raid conducted from 97 00:04:04,536 --> 00:04:06,591 the flight deck of Uss Hornet sent a 98 00:04:06,591 --> 00:04:09,470 massive U . S . Army B 25 bomber on a 99 00:04:09,470 --> 00:04:11,526 one way mission to bomb the Japanese 100 00:04:11,526 --> 00:04:15,330 mainland at the battle of the Coral 101 00:04:15,330 --> 00:04:17,497 Sea . The opponents engaged each other 102 00:04:17,497 --> 00:04:19,441 entirely in the air without citing 103 00:04:19,441 --> 00:04:21,663 enemy ships for the first time in naval 104 00:04:21,663 --> 00:04:25,470 history . Later radar pierced the night , 105 00:04:25,480 --> 00:04:27,813 giving the fleet new eyes as technology , 106 00:04:27,813 --> 00:04:29,813 improved defense and added power to 107 00:04:29,813 --> 00:04:32,760 offense alongside the fleet of allied 108 00:04:32,760 --> 00:04:34,750 nations . American naval air power 109 00:04:34,750 --> 00:04:36,861 drove the Japanese from strategically 110 00:04:36,861 --> 00:04:39,190 located bases and placed the allies in 111 00:04:39,190 --> 00:04:41,246 position to launch the final air and 112 00:04:41,246 --> 00:04:45,090 amphibious offenses . Although 113 00:04:45,090 --> 00:04:47,312 World War Two contributed significantly 114 00:04:47,312 --> 00:04:49,312 to the development of aviation , it 115 00:04:49,312 --> 00:04:51,312 also proved that neither armies nor 116 00:04:51,312 --> 00:04:53,479 navies could achieve objectives in war 117 00:04:53,479 --> 00:04:55,710 without first achieving air superiority 118 00:04:55,780 --> 00:04:58,000 and air striking power also improved 119 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,410 the effectiveness of both . Following 120 00:05:01,410 --> 00:05:03,243 the war , a number of challenges 121 00:05:03,243 --> 00:05:05,940 emerged . First , the global political 122 00:05:05,940 --> 00:05:08,510 situation saw wartime alliances fade 123 00:05:08,580 --> 00:05:10,740 and sometimes collapse , resulting in 124 00:05:10,740 --> 00:05:12,860 the emergence of two superpowers who 125 00:05:12,860 --> 00:05:15,150 struggle for world mastery overshadowed 126 00:05:15,150 --> 00:05:16,983 the second half of the century . 127 00:05:18,500 --> 00:05:21,010 Eventually a task force built around 1 128 00:05:21,010 --> 00:05:23,010 - two carriers in the Mediterranean 129 00:05:23,010 --> 00:05:25,490 became a fixture there . A similar 130 00:05:25,490 --> 00:05:27,712 force in the western pacific , provided 131 00:05:27,712 --> 00:05:29,970 the same tangible symbol of us might 132 00:05:29,980 --> 00:05:33,490 and determination . Then there were 133 00:05:33,490 --> 00:05:35,601 challenges related to the development 134 00:05:35,601 --> 00:05:37,820 of weapons and tactics . The 135 00:05:37,820 --> 00:05:39,764 introduction of jet aircraft posed 136 00:05:39,764 --> 00:05:42,098 special problems for carrier operations . 137 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:45,193 Their employment highlighted the 138 00:05:45,193 --> 00:05:47,138 dilemma that as the Navy developed 139 00:05:47,138 --> 00:05:49,360 increasingly capable aircraft , it also 140 00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:51,360 needed to find increasingly capable 141 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:54,930 means of taking them to see critics of 142 00:05:54,930 --> 00:05:57,041 naval power renewed their declaration 143 00:05:57,041 --> 00:05:59,374 of navies as obsolete in the atomic era , 144 00:05:59,374 --> 00:06:00,986 shifting their derision from 145 00:06:00,986 --> 00:06:02,986 battleships to aircraft carriers by 146 00:06:02,986 --> 00:06:04,652 citing the ship's expense and 147 00:06:04,652 --> 00:06:08,630 vulnerabilities . Those who supported 148 00:06:08,630 --> 00:06:10,741 carriers retaliated with criticism of 149 00:06:10,741 --> 00:06:12,940 the Strategic Air Command's Convair B 150 00:06:12,940 --> 00:06:15,910 36 long range bombers as being equally 151 00:06:15,910 --> 00:06:18,380 vulnerable , expensive and unable to 152 00:06:18,380 --> 00:06:20,158 fulfill their allotted roles in 153 00:06:20,158 --> 00:06:23,080 national defense . The korean war 154 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:25,191 caught naval aviation in the midst of 155 00:06:25,191 --> 00:06:28,150 transition , the introduction of jet 156 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:30,560 aircraft created a composite force in 157 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:32,449 which carriers were equipped with 158 00:06:32,449 --> 00:06:34,782 either jet or propeller driven aircraft , 159 00:06:34,782 --> 00:06:36,449 which differed in performance 160 00:06:36,449 --> 00:06:38,116 characteristics , maintenance 161 00:06:38,116 --> 00:06:40,393 requirements and tactical applications . 162 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:43,320 Despite the amphibious landings at 163 00:06:43,330 --> 00:06:45,470 Inchon 2.5 months after the north 164 00:06:45,470 --> 00:06:47,750 korean invasion of South Korea . The 165 00:06:47,750 --> 00:06:49,972 operations of naval aviation during the 166 00:06:49,972 --> 00:06:52,100 korean war diverged from the island 167 00:06:52,100 --> 00:06:54,322 hopping campaigns in the pacific during 168 00:06:54,322 --> 00:06:56,910 World war two , the United Nations 169 00:06:56,910 --> 00:06:59,021 sought to confine the fighting to the 170 00:06:59,021 --> 00:07:01,243 korean peninsula . To avoid the specter 171 00:07:01,243 --> 00:07:04,940 of escalation into an atomic war . This 172 00:07:04,940 --> 00:07:06,950 policy required the need to sustain 173 00:07:06,950 --> 00:07:09,300 carrier air power for extended periods 174 00:07:09,310 --> 00:07:11,180 over a landmass , resulting in a 175 00:07:11,180 --> 00:07:13,530 predictable pattern that commander task 176 00:07:13,530 --> 00:07:17,510 force 77 described in January 1952 as 177 00:07:17,510 --> 00:07:19,590 a day to day routine where stamina 178 00:07:19,590 --> 00:07:21,920 replaced glamour and persistence was 179 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:23,590 pitted against perseverance . 180 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:27,850 Carrier aircraft flew deep support 181 00:07:27,850 --> 00:07:29,880 missions , attacked supply lines , 182 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:32,462 roamed over enemy territory for targets 183 00:07:32,462 --> 00:07:35,210 of opportunity , bombed infrastructure , 184 00:07:35,220 --> 00:07:37,810 attacked refineries and hydroelectric 185 00:07:37,810 --> 00:07:40,430 plants and escorted land based bombers 186 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:44,360 on special missions . These 187 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:46,160 raids challenged men trained to 188 00:07:46,170 --> 00:07:47,781 interdict enemy sea lines of 189 00:07:47,781 --> 00:07:50,050 communication and to ward off attacks 190 00:07:50,050 --> 00:07:51,560 by enemy naval forces . 191 00:07:54,460 --> 00:07:56,460 Still during the three years of the 192 00:07:56,460 --> 00:07:58,404 Korean War , Navy and Marine Corps 193 00:07:58,404 --> 00:08:00,571 aircraft flew almost as many sorties , 194 00:08:00,620 --> 00:08:03,260 dropped 74,000 tons more bombs and 195 00:08:03,260 --> 00:08:05,760 rockets And increase their percentage 196 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:08,340 of total us action sorties from 10 to 197 00:08:08,340 --> 00:08:10,990 30% compared to their performance in 198 00:08:10,990 --> 00:08:13,350 all theaters . In all of World War II , 199 00:08:14,350 --> 00:08:16,420 outside the combat area , the fleet 200 00:08:16,420 --> 00:08:18,253 continuously maintained peaceful 201 00:08:18,253 --> 00:08:20,142 missions in the mediterranean and 202 00:08:20,142 --> 00:08:22,142 eastern atlantic and trained on the 203 00:08:22,142 --> 00:08:23,420 same scale as before . 204 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:27,670 Unlike in World War Two , research and 205 00:08:27,670 --> 00:08:29,837 development did not shift to emphasize 206 00:08:29,837 --> 00:08:31,948 projects that directly applied to the 207 00:08:31,948 --> 00:08:34,510 war effort . Instead , they focused on 208 00:08:34,510 --> 00:08:36,232 longer range programs aimed at 209 00:08:36,232 --> 00:08:38,399 progressively modernizing fleet forces 210 00:08:38,399 --> 00:08:40,621 and their equipment with more effective 211 00:08:40,621 --> 00:08:42,630 weapons . The carrier modernization 212 00:08:42,630 --> 00:08:44,408 program continued and underwent 213 00:08:44,408 --> 00:08:46,630 revision to incorporate steam catapults 214 00:08:46,630 --> 00:08:49,140 and angled flight decks onto Saratoga 215 00:08:49,150 --> 00:08:52,590 ranger independence Forrestal kitty 216 00:08:52,590 --> 00:08:55,690 hawk constellation America and john F 217 00:08:55,690 --> 00:08:58,980 Kennedy the forest , All C . V . A 59 218 00:08:58,980 --> 00:09:01,313 class aircraft carriers entered service . 219 00:09:03,100 --> 00:09:05,211 The successful application of nuclear 220 00:09:05,211 --> 00:09:07,156 power included the construction of 221 00:09:07,156 --> 00:09:09,211 nuclear propelled carrier Enterprise 222 00:09:09,211 --> 00:09:12,820 CvN 65 . These additions and 223 00:09:12,820 --> 00:09:14,709 improvements strengthened carrier 224 00:09:14,709 --> 00:09:16,820 forces and enabled the operation of a 225 00:09:16,820 --> 00:09:18,653 new family of aircraft with high 226 00:09:18,653 --> 00:09:21,440 performance capabilities . Meanwhile , 227 00:09:21,450 --> 00:09:23,617 naval forces represented the nation in 228 00:09:23,617 --> 00:09:26,400 critical areas . On different occasions . 229 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:28,530 These forces evacuated refugees , 230 00:09:28,820 --> 00:09:30,980 patrolled troubled waters , provided 231 00:09:30,980 --> 00:09:33,220 support to menaced nations and 232 00:09:33,220 --> 00:09:35,387 presented a physical symbol of freedom 233 00:09:35,387 --> 00:09:37,387 as a bulwark between aggressors and 234 00:09:37,387 --> 00:09:41,300 depressed during the 235 00:09:41,300 --> 00:09:43,522 Cuban missile crisis . The Navy exerted 236 00:09:43,522 --> 00:09:45,689 its traditional role of sea control by 237 00:09:45,689 --> 00:09:47,800 imposing a naval blockade that proved 238 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:49,578 instrumental in averting global 239 00:09:49,578 --> 00:09:52,220 thermonuclear war around the world 240 00:09:52,220 --> 00:09:54,400 cruise of a nuclear powered task force 241 00:09:54,400 --> 00:09:56,344 and operations in the indian ocean 242 00:09:56,344 --> 00:09:58,456 carried the flag into foreign ports . 243 00:10:00,730 --> 00:10:02,760 Naval forces responded to crises in 244 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:04,550 africa , the Middle East , the 245 00:10:04,550 --> 00:10:07,130 Caribbean and Berlin evacuated 246 00:10:07,130 --> 00:10:09,380 americans trapped fighting and by their 247 00:10:09,380 --> 00:10:11,491 presence . Reaffirmed the role of the 248 00:10:11,491 --> 00:10:13,690 service in keeping the peace . Yeah , 249 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:16,951 ships and aircraft aided the stricken 250 00:10:16,951 --> 00:10:18,800 when hurricanes , typhoons and 251 00:10:18,810 --> 00:10:20,866 earthquakes struck in widely distant 252 00:10:20,866 --> 00:10:24,650 points in 253 00:10:24,650 --> 00:10:26,761 southeast Asia . The nation responded 254 00:10:26,761 --> 00:10:28,372 to communist aggression with 255 00:10:28,372 --> 00:10:30,483 retaliatory airstrikes that escalated 256 00:10:30,483 --> 00:10:32,317 into a protracted war of limited 257 00:10:32,317 --> 00:10:34,428 objectives and little relevancy to us 258 00:10:34,428 --> 00:10:38,240 national security . The 259 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:40,129 burden of naval air action in the 260 00:10:40,129 --> 00:10:42,296 Vietnam War fell upon the carriers and 261 00:10:42,296 --> 00:10:46,210 aircraft of the 7th fleet Operations , 262 00:10:46,210 --> 00:10:48,230 linebacker one and 2 waged heavy 263 00:10:48,230 --> 00:10:50,174 introduction and bombing campaigns 264 00:10:50,174 --> 00:10:52,008 against the North Vietnamese and 265 00:10:52,008 --> 00:10:54,174 carrier aircraft carried out extensive 266 00:10:54,174 --> 00:10:56,119 aerial mine laying to blockade the 267 00:10:56,119 --> 00:10:59,890 enemy's main avenues of supply . An 268 00:10:59,900 --> 00:11:02,210 uneasy truce resulted in disengagement 269 00:11:02,210 --> 00:11:06,070 from the war in 1973 . Two years later , 270 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:07,858 naval air power assisted in the 271 00:11:07,858 --> 00:11:09,950 evacuation of refugees who fled the 272 00:11:09,950 --> 00:11:11,894 North Vietnamese conquest of South 273 00:11:11,894 --> 00:11:15,870 Vietnam the 19 seventies witnessed 274 00:11:15,870 --> 00:11:17,814 the Decommissioning of most of the 275 00:11:17,814 --> 00:11:20,060 remaining essex CV nine class carriers 276 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:22,296 and commissioning of nuclear powered 277 00:11:22,296 --> 00:11:25,030 carriers Nimitz CvN 68 Dwight D 278 00:11:25,030 --> 00:11:28,370 Eisenhower CvN 69 the launch of Carl 279 00:11:28,370 --> 00:11:30,150 Vinson CvN 70 280 00:11:32,940 --> 00:11:35,430 A build up of naval aviation . The rise 281 00:11:35,430 --> 00:11:37,790 of global acts of terrorism and the US 282 00:11:37,790 --> 00:11:40,140 response to global crises characterized 283 00:11:40,140 --> 00:11:44,120 the 1980s as 284 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:46,176 the decade began . Aircraft carriers 285 00:11:46,176 --> 00:11:48,080 sailed ready to project US power 286 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:50,191 against extremists who held americans 287 00:11:50,191 --> 00:11:53,050 hostage in Tehran Iran . These ships 288 00:11:53,050 --> 00:11:55,272 had increasingly deployed to the Indian 289 00:11:55,272 --> 00:11:57,272 Ocean during the latter part of the 290 00:11:57,272 --> 00:11:59,383 1970s and strengthened the trend into 291 00:11:59,383 --> 00:12:01,510 the 1980s as a result of ongoing and 292 00:12:01,510 --> 00:12:03,510 growing problems in the Middle East 293 00:12:03,510 --> 00:12:06,800 East Africa and Asia . Naval aviation 294 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:08,911 experienced resurgence and strengthen 295 00:12:08,911 --> 00:12:11,078 capabilities through building programs 296 00:12:11,078 --> 00:12:13,620 and new technology , research the 297 00:12:13,620 --> 00:12:15,780 platforms for these technologies also 298 00:12:15,780 --> 00:12:19,290 kept pace aircraft carriers , Theodore 299 00:12:19,290 --> 00:12:21,530 Roosevelt abraham Lincoln and George 300 00:12:21,530 --> 00:12:23,252 Washington were authorized for 301 00:12:23,252 --> 00:12:25,750 construction by Congress , clashes with 302 00:12:25,750 --> 00:12:27,583 the libyans , demonstrated naval 303 00:12:27,583 --> 00:12:29,420 aviation's air to air and strike 304 00:12:29,420 --> 00:12:32,270 capabilities and operation urgent fury 305 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:34,002 reestablished democracy on the 306 00:12:34,002 --> 00:12:37,820 Caribbean island of Grenada Operations 307 00:12:37,830 --> 00:12:40,040 in and around Lebanon kept naval 308 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:42,720 aviation occupied during the mid 1980s 309 00:12:42,730 --> 00:12:44,897 and responding to terrorist crimes and 310 00:12:44,897 --> 00:12:46,897 hijackings around the Mediterranean 311 00:12:46,897 --> 00:12:49,119 Basin became an ongoing requirement for 312 00:12:49,119 --> 00:12:51,500 most of the decade . When Saddam 313 00:12:51,500 --> 00:12:53,556 Hussein invaded Kuwait , the U . N . 314 00:12:53,556 --> 00:12:55,667 Imposed an economic blockade to force 315 00:12:55,667 --> 00:12:58,480 its withdrawal . As the january 15th 316 00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:01,430 1991 U . N . Deadline for the Iraqis to 317 00:13:01,430 --> 00:13:03,319 withdraw their troops from Kuwait 318 00:13:03,319 --> 00:13:05,920 approached US . Aircraft carriers 319 00:13:05,920 --> 00:13:07,920 advanced to their stations near the 320 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:11,480 Persian gulf The following night , the 321 00:13:11,480 --> 00:13:13,480 morning of January 17 in the Middle 322 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:15,960 East , ships at sea fired Tomahawk 323 00:13:15,960 --> 00:13:18,071 cruise missiles at Iraqi military and 324 00:13:18,071 --> 00:13:20,238 political targets and a massive armada 325 00:13:20,238 --> 00:13:22,404 of Allied aircraft struck a variety of 326 00:13:22,404 --> 00:13:25,770 targets . The attacks devastated the 327 00:13:25,770 --> 00:13:27,880 Iraqis so thoroughly that principle 328 00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:30,047 fighting on the ground ended in barely 329 00:13:30,047 --> 00:13:32,610 100 hours and on February 27 , 330 00:13:32,700 --> 00:13:34,867 President Bush declared the liberation 331 00:13:34,867 --> 00:13:38,080 of Kuwait completely . Following the 332 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:40,340 Persian gulf war , naval aviation 333 00:13:40,340 --> 00:13:42,590 patrolled Iraqi airspace and supported 334 00:13:42,590 --> 00:13:44,646 U . N . Imposed sanctions as well as 335 00:13:44,646 --> 00:13:46,868 limiting the Iraqi threat to minorities 336 00:13:46,868 --> 00:13:48,646 within the country and to their 337 00:13:48,646 --> 00:13:51,430 neighbors across the Middle East . The 338 00:13:51,430 --> 00:13:53,319 fall of the soviet Union left the 339 00:13:53,319 --> 00:13:55,208 United States as the world's only 340 00:13:55,208 --> 00:13:57,319 superpower . But the new global order 341 00:13:57,319 --> 00:13:59,950 presented new threats . The break up of 342 00:13:59,950 --> 00:14:01,980 the composite yugoslav state into 343 00:14:01,980 --> 00:14:03,990 constituent Republics presented the 344 00:14:03,990 --> 00:14:06,990 first major challenge . Aircraft 345 00:14:06,990 --> 00:14:09,157 carriers kept watch over the situation 346 00:14:09,157 --> 00:14:11,268 from the Adriatic sea and supported a 347 00:14:11,268 --> 00:14:13,379 number of international operations to 348 00:14:13,379 --> 00:14:15,546 ensure the warring parties did not use 349 00:14:15,546 --> 00:14:17,768 air power to carry out ethnic cleansing 350 00:14:17,940 --> 00:14:19,996 Aircraft carriers , John C . Stennis 351 00:14:19,996 --> 00:14:22,162 and Harry S . Truman entered the fleet 352 00:14:22,162 --> 00:14:24,107 in the early 90s . The decade also 353 00:14:24,107 --> 00:14:26,051 marked a first for women . When in 354 00:14:26,051 --> 00:14:28,350 April 1993 , Secretary of Defense 355 00:14:28,350 --> 00:14:30,550 Leslie Aspin dropped most of the 356 00:14:30,550 --> 00:14:32,772 restrictions that prohibited women from 357 00:14:32,772 --> 00:14:34,883 engaging in aerial and naval combat . 358 00:14:35,440 --> 00:14:37,607 Later in the year , Congress supported 359 00:14:37,607 --> 00:14:39,829 the secretary's decision to allow women 360 00:14:39,829 --> 00:14:41,718 in combat by repealing the combat 361 00:14:41,718 --> 00:14:45,300 exclusion law . In October 362 00:14:45,300 --> 00:14:47,522 1994 , Dwight D . Eisenhower became the 363 00:14:47,522 --> 00:14:49,467 first carrier to deploy with women 364 00:14:49,467 --> 00:14:53,210 permanently assigned on board operation 365 00:14:53,210 --> 00:14:55,432 enduring freedom relied heavily on Navy 366 00:14:55,432 --> 00:14:57,654 carrier aircraft as well as it played a 367 00:14:57,654 --> 00:14:59,766 key role in Operation Iraqi Freedom , 368 00:14:59,766 --> 00:15:01,766 which resulted after repeated Iraqi 369 00:15:01,766 --> 00:15:03,766 violations of ceasefire records and 370 00:15:03,766 --> 00:15:05,988 presumed attempts to develop weapons of 371 00:15:05,988 --> 00:15:08,650 mass destruction . Carrier launched 372 00:15:08,650 --> 00:15:10,594 aircraft carried out missions over 373 00:15:10,594 --> 00:15:12,483 dynamic and fluid battlefields in 374 00:15:12,483 --> 00:15:15,660 Afghanistan and Iraq . They also 375 00:15:15,660 --> 00:15:17,604 tackled global security missions , 376 00:15:17,604 --> 00:15:19,493 providing aerial surveillance , c 377 00:15:19,493 --> 00:15:21,327 control intelligence gathering , 378 00:15:21,327 --> 00:15:23,510 maritime interceptions , evacuated 379 00:15:23,510 --> 00:15:25,566 casualties from battlefields and the 380 00:15:25,566 --> 00:15:27,788 high seas and hunted for drug smugglers 381 00:15:27,788 --> 00:15:29,899 to reduce the flow of contraband onto 382 00:15:29,899 --> 00:15:33,420 America's streets . Naval aviation , 383 00:15:33,420 --> 00:15:35,587 organizational and operational methods 384 00:15:35,587 --> 00:15:37,753 evolved to reflect changing missions . 385 00:15:38,740 --> 00:15:40,907 The redesignation and restructuring of 386 00:15:40,907 --> 00:15:42,962 the carrier battle groups as carrier 387 00:15:42,962 --> 00:15:45,129 strike groups occurred and the group's 388 00:15:45,129 --> 00:15:47,184 fell under numbered fleet commanders 389 00:15:47,184 --> 00:15:49,129 for operational and administrative 390 00:15:49,129 --> 00:15:51,680 control . Under the six plus two 391 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:53,791 concept of the fleet response plan of 392 00:15:53,791 --> 00:15:56,580 the sea Power 21 strategy , The navy 393 00:15:56,580 --> 00:15:58,790 projected power by deploying six such 394 00:15:58,790 --> 00:16:00,990 groups in less than 30 days for 395 00:16:00,990 --> 00:16:03,540 contingency operations With two more 396 00:16:03,540 --> 00:16:05,596 groups to follow within three months 397 00:16:05,596 --> 00:16:09,040 for rotation or reinforcement . New 398 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:11,262 ships wore the names of U . S . History 399 00:16:11,262 --> 00:16:13,429 including carriers . Ronald Reagan CvN 400 00:16:13,429 --> 00:16:17,130 76 George , H . W . Bush , CvN 77 401 00:16:17,620 --> 00:16:21,530 Gerald R . Ford CvN 78 . Future 402 00:16:21,530 --> 00:16:23,363 aircraft carriers will carry the 403 00:16:23,363 --> 00:16:25,530 tradition forward well into the latter 404 00:16:25,530 --> 00:16:27,641 half of the 21st century . With names 405 00:16:27,641 --> 00:16:30,260 like john F , Kennedy CvN 79 Enterprise 406 00:16:30,260 --> 00:16:34,140 CvN 80 and Doris Miller CvN 81 . As 407 00:16:34,140 --> 00:16:36,362 naval aviation looks to the future , it 408 00:16:36,362 --> 00:16:39,030 is solidly rooted in its past . For 100 409 00:16:39,030 --> 00:16:41,252 years . American aircraft carriers have 410 00:16:41,252 --> 00:16:43,540 projected power , sustained C control 411 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:46,040 bolstered deterrence and maintained 412 00:16:46,040 --> 00:16:48,262 enduring american commitments worldwide 413 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:51,207 like their predecessors . The aircraft 414 00:16:51,207 --> 00:16:53,207 carriers of today and tomorrow will 415 00:16:53,207 --> 00:16:55,373 leverage new and emerging technologies 416 00:16:55,373 --> 00:16:57,510 such as electromagnetic aircraft 417 00:16:57,510 --> 00:16:59,860 launching systems , advanced arresting 418 00:16:59,860 --> 00:17:01,916 gear systems that improve safety and 419 00:17:01,916 --> 00:17:04,420 reliability , electrical generating 420 00:17:04,420 --> 00:17:06,642 capabilities to accommodate new systems 421 00:17:06,642 --> 00:17:08,642 including directed energy weapons , 422 00:17:09,450 --> 00:17:11,394 electric utilities that eliminates 423 00:17:11,394 --> 00:17:13,090 steam service lines , reduced 424 00:17:13,090 --> 00:17:15,146 maintenance requirements and improve 425 00:17:15,146 --> 00:17:17,090 corrosion control and a variety of 426 00:17:17,090 --> 00:17:19,250 quality of life improvements using 427 00:17:19,250 --> 00:17:21,472 their mobility to operate anywhere with 428 00:17:21,472 --> 00:17:23,361 no permission needed . Full sized 429 00:17:23,361 --> 00:17:25,472 nuclear powered aircraft carriers are 430 00:17:25,472 --> 00:17:27,583 strategically advantageous delivering 431 00:17:27,583 --> 00:17:29,860 speed , endurance , agility and 432 00:17:29,870 --> 00:17:33,130 unquestioned combat capability for the 433 00:17:33,130 --> 00:17:35,352 foreseeable future carrier sailors will 434 00:17:35,352 --> 00:17:37,519 come to the fight trained and equipped 435 00:17:37,519 --> 00:17:39,686 across a full range of missions . They 436 00:17:39,686 --> 00:17:41,630 will conduct precision strikes and 437 00:17:41,630 --> 00:17:43,686 maneuvers across the electromagnetic 438 00:17:43,686 --> 00:17:45,741 spectrum and cyberspace as they have 439 00:17:45,741 --> 00:17:47,908 for a century . They'll operate in the 440 00:17:47,908 --> 00:17:49,908 future with decisive , overwhelming 441 00:17:49,908 --> 00:17:51,908 firepower across millions of square 442 00:17:51,908 --> 00:17:51,600 miles anywhere in the 443 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:57,660 world , 444 00:17:58,140 --> 00:17:58,770 mm hmm .