The British Royal Navy now grapples with the consequences of investing in grandeur over pragmatism with its two latest aircraft carriers, HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.

These formidable vessels stand as contentious figures in the debate over national defense strategy in an era of middle-power Britain.

Critics charge that the costly carriers, which have encountered maintenance woes and funding shortfalls, divert crucial resources from more practical maritime defenses better suited to Britain’s regional power status.

The fixation on these behemoths is framed as a vanity project.

During her tenure, Lady Margaret Thatcher aimed to restore Britain’s former glory by asserting the “great” in “Great Britain.”

Leading a post-imperial nation in transition, Thatcher guided the country from its position at the pinnacle of the international system to a new, diminished status somewhere in the middle.

In the 1980s, under Thatcher’s leadership, Britain could still maintain the facade of relevance, albeit superficially.

However, the reality was starkly different. Following the Suez Canal Crisis and the post-1945 era, Britain’s days as a dominant global power had concluded.

Its best course of action was to align itself with a more powerful nation and strive to function akin to a remora accompanying a shark’s body.

The financial realities of maintaining such warships have proven daunting.

As one critic puts it, “Britain doesn’t have the budget to sustain these aircraft carriers.”

The recent blaze on the HMS Queen Elizabeth, dubbed by some as a “cursed” carrier, underscores the ongoing troubles plaguing the fleet.

The predicament of the Royal Navy is not unique. Across the pond, the United States Navy faces similar challenges with its own aircraft carriers.

Seen as a legacy of World War II, U.S. carriers, with their astronomical costs and vulnerability to modern missile technologies, are likened to the battleships of old.

They too are being questioned amid a rapidly evolving landscape of naval warfare where less expensive options, such as submarines and hypersonic weapons, present themselves as more viable alternatives.

Relevant articles:
– The Age of Aircraft Carriers for the Royal Navy Is Now Completely Over, The National Interest
– The Age of the Navy Aircraft Carrier Is Over, The National Interest
– Warship – Aircraft, Armament, Defense, Britannica
– The Carrier’s Role is Narrowing, U.S. Naval Institute