A rule requiring the United States to buy foreign carrier designs sharply limits the choices because no other country builds an American-style supercarrier in this period. Charles de Gaulle becomes the preferred option when the comparison moves to the end of the Cold War. Kuznetsov is considered a possible starting point, but fitting American doctrine would require extensive conversion. The scenario assumes nuclear propulsion as a central American requirement. The same foreign hull can therefore be a relatively attractive British option and a much more difficult American replacement.
Notable Point · 3:42:36-3:46:38
Foreign carrier designs and American operating requirements
Excluding American designs makes carrier procurement difficult for the US Navy because foreign ships differ in propulsion and operating arrangements.