Why bombers do not provide a cheap answer to a raider

Flying a bomber squadron to a distant theater leaves much of its support requirement unresolved. Maintainers, spare parts, fuel, and munitions must reach an airfield large enough to operate the aircraft. Flying from an existing base avoids that relocation only if the aircraft can reach the target, potentially with tanker support. In a European war, those tankers could otherwise support fighters and airborne warning aircraft over Germany. The pressure to divert them would therefore extend beyond the navy to commanders fighting on land and in the air. A single Soviet surface ship accompanied by a few submarines could impose several competing demands on NATO's forces.