The Case Against Nuclear Weapons on Aircraft Carriers

The Case Against Nuclear Weapons on Aircraft Carriers

21 Jul 26
Posted by: Lt Cdr Chris Pagenkopf USN
13 minutes, 4 seconds read
Message from the Editor

As firepower and lethality increasingly become central to warfighting doctrine and escalation at sea, the reintroduction of ship and submarine tactical nuclear weapons has been proposed as a means of closing the gap. The author takes the argument for carrier-based nuclear weapons to task. Originally published in the USNI’s Proceedings, July 2026. A 10 minute read.

As China expands its dual-capable missile arsenal and Russia modernises its theatre nuclear forces, calls are growing to reintroduce US sea-based tactical nuclear weapons to fill a perceived “deterrence-assurance-escalation” gap. The USN proposes to do so by equipping submarines with the nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N), but in a November 2025 Proceedings article, Commander Ben Massengale argued rearming aircraft carriers with nuclear weapons is an even better alternative.[1] While there would be some cost and schedule advantages to this proposal, aircraft carriers would not…

You are not currently logged in. Please sign in now or click here to join today.