military@cbnews.ATT.COM (William B. Thacker) (06/07/89)
From: mtuxo!rcm (R Craig Montero +1 201 576 6116) As one who served on a wargame staff for the Navy (I was part of the "Orange" force staff), I think that the statements concerning the overt protection of CVNs in exercises is overstated. Our exercises involved both wargames and actual fleet exercises using real naval forces and in no case was there ever a call that the CV was "protected." In an exercise involving multiple carriers, one carrier was "out of commission" for slightly over half of the exercise (no launch or recovery) due to a cruise missile strike. In other single carrier exercises, there were always periods that the carrier was OOC due to damage. We had VERY interesting debriefings after the exercises which involved Fleet commanders, COMNAVAIR, Air Wing commanders, CV CO's and lots of staff folks during which the candid admission of failures was the norm. We don't always try to bend the rules. Craig Montero att!mtuxo!rcm All views expressed are mine and not those of my employer--of course.