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nuclear
Politics / 1 day ago
Which country really controls nuclear-powered aircraft carriers?
When you look at a world map of naval power, almost all nations sail conventional warships and carriers. But only a tiny club of nations has mastered nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, massive ships that act as mobile airfields and can stay at sea for years without refuelling. What this really means is strategic reach and influence that most fleets can only dream of. When you look at a world map of naval power, almost all nations sail conventional warships and carriers. But only a tiny club of nations has mastered nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, massive ships that act as mobile airfields and can stay at sea for years without refuelling. What this really means is strategic reach and influence that most fleets can only dream of. The United States Navy is the dominant force in this specialised arena. It operates 11 nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, including both the classic Nimitz class and the newest Gerald R. Ford class. These vessels form the backbone of US power projection at sea, able to launch fighter jets, early-warning aircraft and support missions wherever needed in the world.
Politics / 13 weeks ago
The 1962 Cuban missile crisis and the lessons it still teaches in a nuclear age
On that day, John F. Kennedy announced to the American people that the Cuban Missile Crisis was underway, an explosive revelation that the Soviet Union had secretly deployed nuclear-armed missiles on the island of Cuba, only 90 miles from the U.S. mainland. The map above captures the gravity of that confrontation: Soviet intermediate-range ballistic missile bases in Cuba, U.S. naval and air “quarantine” (blockade) zones around the island and the looming threat circle stretching deep into the continental United States.
