[originaltext] Aircraft Carriers are a powerful and extremely flexible part

Aircraft Carriers are a powerful and extremely flexible part of a nation’ s defense./A carder is flexible in a way that armies and air forces are not because it can influence events merely by being seen./The power of an aircraft carrier can act as a visible deterrent to enemy aggression./A carrier is also flexible because it operates on the ocean./Unlike a land air base, no other country has to be consulted about where a carrier can go and what it can be used for because most of the ocean is considered international water and not part of any one country./This freedom allows carriers to move from one trouble spot to another quite easily./Carriers operate with a number of support and supply ships;/this group of ships is referred to as a carrier battle group J While carriers are important, they are also quite expensive,/so there are only a few patrolling the world’ s oceans today./ Approximately 40 carriers of all types are currently in use or are being built./