Much has been made recently of the Navy sending CVBGs on deployments with major crew shortages. Concerns also have been voiced over the hemorrhaging of the Navy's pilot force, and broader retention problems that are associated with long deployments. The crews comprising the SSGNs would number roughly 150, or about 2 percent the manning required for a CVBG . Moreover, SSGNs do not require pilots. Conclusion To be sure, converted Tridents are not the equivalent of carrier-centered battle groups.
Carriers possess some clear advantages over SSGNs.
8 And carrier aircraft are, at present, more capable of striking mobile targets. For those who believe it is important to impress foreign ports with the sheer size of U.S. ships, carriers are clearly the ships of choice. Finally, a carrier battle group has the flexibility to launch both air and missile strikes. But if SSGNs are not carriers, the opposite holds true as well. The SSGN has a greater prompt strike capability than does a carrier.