Light aircraft carrier is useful strategic tool
By Ian Bowers
The force structure of any navy is not only a reflection of a state's strategic and operational context but also its geopolitical goals and economic status. Only through this lens can the Republic of Korea Navy's (ROKN) acquisition of a light aircraft carrier be understood.
Given South Korea's military situation and position as an economically advanced state reliant on the free use of the sea, the decision to invest in a carrier capability makes both short- and long-term strategic sense.
Independent warfighting capability
Multiple operational rationales exist for the procurement of a ROKN aircraft carrier. North Korea's development of short-range ballistic missiles, long-range rockets and artillery hold South Korean and U.S. airfields at risk. This potential vulnerability can be partially mitigated by missile defenses and other countermeasures. However, a further strategic hedge is required, given the importance of airpower to South Korea's security.
By operating an aircraft carrier, South Korea will possess a resilient maritime-based airpower capability, one that is difficult to detect, track and target. Given North Korea's limited intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, a South Korean aircraft carrier would provide military leaders with a rapidly deployable and potent strike weapon capable of secure operations on either side of the Korean Peninsula.
Of course, any aircraft carrier is only as capable as the aircraft deployed aboard it. The F-35B, while controversial, is a highly capable aircraft. Although this variant of the F-35 carries less fuel and weapons than the ground-based F-35A and catapult-launched F-35C, nevertheless it is a powerful and stealthy system and when operating from an aircraft carrier can penetrate enemy airspace from unexpected vectors and be quickly rearmed and refueled at sea.
Importantly, in addition to its stealth and precision strike capability, the F-35 also possess significant sensor, communication and data processing capabilities allowing it to act as a command and control and ISR node.
Aircraft operating from a ROKN carrier flying well behind enemy lines can vastly improve South Korea's situational awareness of the battlefield. These aircraft could also provide a so-called cooperative engagement capability, finding targets for other South Korean systems such as air-, sea- and ground-launched cruise missiles and ROKA artillery and even missile defense systems.
A further combat role of a ROKN aircraft carrier would be to act as a flagship for a South Korean amphibious capability. It would have the ability to escort a South Korean amphibious group with a self-contained force capable of independent operations in contested littoral environments.
A light aircraft carrier carrying even a modest number of F-35B jets would be able to conduct its own air-combat patrols, support amphibious troops and conduct deep-precision strikes all independent of any other air assets.
Cooperative warfighting capability
It is important to recognize that an aircraft carrier, equipped with F-35B jets, provides a value-added joint operational capability with the U.S and its allies. A ROKN light aircraft carrier operating F-35B jets would place South Korea among an exclusive club of U.S. allies operating these advanced capabilities at sea.
The United Kingdom, Japan, Italy and potentially Singapore and Spain will or are beginning to operate the F-35B from light aircraft carriers. By possessing this capability, the ROKN expands the number of states that it can operate alongside in everyday operations and high-intensity combat roles.
The power and flexibility of allied sea-based aviation capabilities are attractive to U.S. commanders. This is especially true when states operate the F-35 as it allows for common maintenance and operational procedures and easier pathways to joint-allied operations.
For example, like the U.K., the USMC F-35B could operate off a future ROKN light aircraft carrier and vice versa. This ROKN capability would therefore develop the already close operational links between the naval forces of the U.S. and South Korea in a new and important direction for the 21st-century battlespace.
Long-term strategic capability
The possession of a light aircraft carrier confers more benefits than just warfighting in the context of North Korea. As an advanced, globally interconnected economy, South Korea has interests across the world. Given this level of national strength, there is a heightened international expectation for greater South Korean involvement in regional and global security affairs.
The deployment of such a vessel is commonly understood as a sign of political and strategic interest. Evidence of this can be seen in how the French, British and U.S. governments prominently advertise the deployments of aircraft carriers to the South China Sea. China's and Japan's aircraft carrier programs are often used by strategic analysts as an indicator of national strength and broad geostrategic ambitions.
The operation of a light aircraft carrier would place South Korea alongside these nations and provide a valuable new capability. It is undoubtedly true that South Korea's geostrategic position is increasingly precarious, with the rise of China creating a cascade of contentious strategic issues across the region.
A light aircraft carrier operating with current and future ROKN assets including submarines, destroyers and amphibious vessels provides South Korea with a more substantial and sustainable deterrent within the context of regional security and will assist in ensuring that South Korea's strategic interests in a regional context are maintained.
Beyond the immediate vicinity of Northeast Asia, a naval group based around a light aircraft carrier provides South Korea with a more varied array of strategic options. This is an important consideration given the centrality of the sea to South Korea's economic prosperity and the fact that the free use of the sea is increasingly being challenged.
The ROKN could provide a value-added capability to future international coalition power projection operations or undertake humanitarian and disaster relief on a scale it has not done before.
In essence, a light aircraft carrier could be a powerful force multiplier for the ROKN and a useful strategic tool for South Korea both now and well into the future. Not only will it bolster South Korea's warfighting capabilities, but if deployed in support of South Korea's foreign policy objectives could elevate South Korea's reputation as a responsible international stakeholder.
Dr. Ian Bowers is a member of the Royal Danish Defence College.