Small Scale Military Headquarters

06/18/06 - U.S. Air Force and naval aircraft fly over the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) carrier strike groups in the Philippine Sea June 18, 2006, during exercise Valiant Shield 2006. The joint exercise consists of 28 naval vessels, more than 300 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 service members from the Navy, Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Photographer's Mate Todd P. Cichonowicz)

U.S. Navy aircraft carriers USS Ronald Reagan (front), USS Kitty Hawk (middle) and USS Abraham Lincoln (back) sail in formation at the start of Valiant Shield 2006 in the Philippine Sea, June 18, 2006. As the largest joint exercise in recent history, it encompasses 28 naval vessels, nearly 300 aircraft and approximately 22,000 servicemembers from the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Spike Call
It kind of reminds me of this WW2 picture at Ulithi Atoll

"Murderers' Row" Third Fleet aircraft carriers at anchor in Ulithi Atoll, 8 December 1944, during a break from operations in the Philippines area. The carriers are (from front to back): USS Wasp (CV-18 ), USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Hornet (CV-12), USS Hancock (CV-19) and USS Ticonderoga (CV-14). Wasp, Yorktown and Ticonderoga are all painted in camouflage Measure 33, Design 10a. Photographed from a USS Ticonderoga plane. Official U.S. Navy Photograph #: 80-G-294131

What a hell of a photo! I haven't seen that one before. Thanks for sharing. That is POWER indeed! Imagine what those carriers would of done in WWII?? I think we are ready for The Final Countdown II movie to be done!

-Ski

Awesome photos, both eras show that we have an amazing naval force. Go Navy! Many thanks for the pics.

Great pics, old and new, thanks for sharing them. Those pics pretty well sum up the basic military premise that "Armies May Trample An Enemies Soil, But Navies Project Power. That mission, to "project" power has changed little even to this day as shown in this quote from then Navy Secretary Dalton..."The purpose of U.S. naval forces remains to project the power and influence of the nation across the seas to foreign waters and shores in both peace and war." Sounds good to me.