As usual, we have obtained a solution to one of the world’s problems over a cup of coffee somewhere.
One of our friends claimed that Canada needed an aircraft carrier. Nopantsatnoon thought this was a questionable statement, and that at best we might want to rent one. Or carpool with other nations. Which we immediately realized was the-best-idea-ever.
I mean, why not? There are a number of small countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark*, Qatar) who are willing to put in bombing runs against tinpot dictators like Gadaffi. Trouble is, they might lack a carrier to base the runs off if there’s a lack of friendly airstrips or US carrier groups. Having a shared carrier where countries can lease out or contribute aircraft to as a mutual defense asset could be quite useful in the as-asymmetric conflicts we get dragged into occasionally.
Ideally this would be used as a rapid reaction force for, let’s say, conducting airstrikes in a country where the local dictator is trying to massacre all the protestors against his regime. It would be more accountable and efficient than either the UN or NATO, which are hampered by bureaucracy and ill-defined purpose after the collapse of the Soviet Union, especially if there were bouncers at the door and an R2P mandate for the shared assets. It would avoid lazy bounders like Germany being bitches and not contributing to blowing assholes out of the desert. Just saying.
* Denmark would only be allowed on after they had promised to stop Viking raids on Hans Island.
nopantsatnoon 