What historical examples resemble modern claims that aircraft carriers are obsolete?
Short answerSimilar claims have followed almost every new weapon, but threats usually reshape employment rather than remove the underlying capability requirement.
NotesClaims of carrier obsolescence go back to a 1920 argument that land-based aircraft had enough range to make naval aviation unnecessary. Later submarines and anti-ship missiles were each presented as the next system that would eliminate surface fleets. Comparable declarations have been made about tanks and armored personnel carriers whenever a new threat appeared. Military platforms survive because commanders still need the capability they deliver: a carrier remains a way to project, rearm, and sustain air power from the sea even though it can be attacked.