Rating: 
Summary: a limited tour
Review: Although I enjoyed this book, I was a little disappointed by how limited the information was on the aircraft carrier and its layout. The book is heavily padded with extraneous verbiage and much of it reads like military procurement propaganda. And the propaganda is repeated and repeated. Clancy uses all the same catch phrases, cliches, and euphemisms that are used by the military itself.There are no details about the propulsion systems of the ship. It is hardly a secret that the nuclear reactors produce heat that creates steam that drives turbines that run the screws, electrical generators, deck catapults, air conditioning, desalinators, etc. It would have been nice to have this explained if only at a schematic level. The Nimitz class aircraft carriers are insanely fast, with a top speed that may exceed sixty knots, knowledge considered appropriate only for those who can observe it directly with their own spy satellites, such as the Russians and the Chinese. Have you noticed that military people use the same hackneyed phrases over and over, such as "putting themselves in harm's way every day to save lives and protect American interests." The formula rarely varies. Granted, the military is necessary and much of the work is dangerous, but it is the absolute uniformity of the lanuage used that reveals how little thought is behind it. The generals crow about how few American casualties were suffered in the Gulf War and how unprecedented that is. It isn't unprecedented at all; the absence of casualties on one side is the earmark of every great massacre in history. Still, aircraft carriers are pretty interesting. Check out the February, 1999 issue of Harper's Magazine for an excellent article about an aircraft carrier without all the propaganda and with a great deal more insight.
Rating:
Summary: A dissapointment for Clancy
Review: Although this book contains a lot of great information on aircraft carriers, it lacks one thing. Spice. The info is great, and interesting. However, after a while, great info gets boring. Tom, I'm afraid this needed a little more work.
Rating: 
Summary: A primer on modern naval air warfare....
Review: Carrier, the sixth book in Tom Clancy's Guided Tour non-fiction series about America's armed forces, is a detailed look at the Navy's grande dame, the aircraft carrier and associated battle group (CVBG). Even 63 years after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor ended the reign of the big-gun battleship and despite the lethality of nuclear attack submarines, the carrier, with its 70+ plane air wing and assorted escorts, is still the most powerful, versatile, and visible symbol of American sea power. Once again, Clancy and series collaborator John D. Gresham take the reader where no ordinary civilian can easily go. From the Pentagon office of Admiral Jay Johnson (who at the time was Chief of Naval Operations) to the bustling -- and dangerous -- flight deck of the Nimitz-class USS Harry S Truman, the authors explain the role of the modern carrier group in today's world, as well as describing each ship -- from carrier to guided missile escorts -- and aircraft that makes the CVBG the "big stick" of American foreign policy. At the time of publication (2000), the Navy was still in the midst of the transition from large 90 aircraft carrier air wings (CAW), and strike pilots were completing the handover of air-to-ground attack missions from the venerable A-6 Intruder to the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet. Other changes discussed by Clancy and Gresham are the eventual phasing out of the F-14 Tomcat, the long-range interceptor made famous by Tom Cruise's 1986 mega-hit Top Gun. Although still a formidable aircraft, the Tomcat -- which has never fired its prime long range missile, the Phoenix, in combat -- is now a 32-year-old design and due to be replaced by late generation F/A-18 Hornet variants and the new Joint Strike Fighter now in development. As in all the Guided Tour books, there are chapters devoted to all the elements that make a CVBG such a valuable fleet asset. Much of the book focuses on the Nimitz-class carrier's design, construction, power plant (or at least as much as the Navy will allow the authors to divulge for security reasons), and the embarked air wing. However, Clancy emphasizes the human element and describes the training and daily lives of the sailors and airmen that operate the various ships and aircraft of the CVBG. Clancy also continues the tradition of ending his Guided Tour books with a short but entertaining fictional account of a unit in action. In this case, the author looks forward at the world in 2016, pitting the United States in a short but fierce confrontation with India after "the world's largest democracy" has a nuclear exchange with its Muslim neighbor Pakistan and becomes erratic in its foreign policy. Although Clancy is hardly objective when writing about the military -- he clearly loves the services -- he does provide the public valuable insights into what the Navy does and the tasks our men and women in uniform perform daily in times of war and peace. Carrier, therefore, is an informative and entertaining primer on today's Navy...and tells the reader exactly why every President since World War II has asked, in times of crisis, "where are the carriers?"
Rating: 
Summary: An in-depth look of a US Carrier Battle Group
Review: Clancy's newest non-fiction book continues the tradition of excellence in explaining to the common person a specific aspect of the military, this time a Carrier Battle Group. Clancy not only focuses on the current status of the CVBG's, but also tells the history, and what he believes the future of the CVBG's will be. The book is filled with historical, as well as technical facts about CVBG's, and also discusses many of the future plans for the United States Navy. A must-have book for anyone interested in the past, present, or future of United States Navy Carriers.
Rating:
Summary: Great detailed description of carrier activity
Review: For those who like Clancy novels, this non-fiction work will not be a disappointment. Clancy meticulously details every possible facet of a carrier's operation, including the history of aircraft carriers, as well as the planes, bombs, and missiles. After reading this book, you'll want to read Clancy's other non-fiction books on other facets of military hardware.
Rating:
Summary: Another well written and constructed book
Review: I am a great fan of Tom Clancy. Over the years I have come to buy his novels without reading the resume or write up, but just by knowing that he wrote it. Of course yet again I wasn't disapointed. The book contains fine detail and information concerning US carriers of today, but also gives us a good view of the past and future designs. If anyone would like to gather and understand the function and works of these massive ships, I couldn't suggest a better book.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent addition to any arsenal
Review: I enjoyed this book from a technical standpoint. If you have any interest in military technology or military history then this book is for you. For those who do not care much about the details, the romance of sea will be it's saving grace. The main character "Dirk" is a dreamy ship captain with a checkered past. If you are a sci-fi fan, this book is also for you because it contains information about alien technologies such as triquarters, phasers, Vulcans and Trills. Much of the battles mentioned in this book take place near the Deep Space Nine worm hole. For those not interested in sci-fi, there is a large portion of the book devoted to the cowboys of the old west and the high noon gun battles. You will also find this book a strong asset for those who are stumped by those tedious technical problems involved in database programming. This book makes a clear case of the most difficult query tasks you have ever faced.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best in the series
Review: I have read all of Clancy's non-fiction books on the US armed forces and I have to say that this is one of the best. Although he gets a little bit heavy on the abbreviations and just assume that the reader will remember them all(they do stack up to be a bunch in the end). Clancy's book is not only interesting from a technical and tactical perspective but it also gives the reader a glimpse of how the US conducts its foreign policy at some points. The scenario in the end of the book is fascinating and it might not be that far away from reality as one of the other reviewers think. Remember it is 15 years in the future and who knows......
Rating:
Summary: very descriptive
Review: I have served onboard naval transports and have always been interested in carriers. I found the book to be easy enough to follow. A basic familiarity with naval and aircraft terminology helps. A good description of shipboard life.
Rating:
Summary: One of Tom Clancy's best books ever written.
Review: I really enjoyed reading this book. The U.S. Navy and the history of the development of its Aircraft Carriers is one of my favorite subjects. I have read a lot about Aircraft Carriers and of their importance in the military. I was also amazed at the large numbers of aircraft and personnel these ships can hold. The personnel includes the ship's officers and crew, Marine guards, pilots, mechanics and medical personnel. The book also includes an interview with the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Johnson and a fictional story at the end. These two items, the interview and the fictional story make this book even more better. This is one of my favorite books and I really enjoyed reading it. I don't think that it was a boring or depressing book at all. It was interesting and exciting. I think that this book is really worth reading. I also think that Tom Clancy should be congratulated for writing a book like this instead of being criticized for it.
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