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.
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome
Review: I thought that overall layout of the book was excellent. Just the way that he expertly described everything in detail was amazing. I also like all the graphs and charts and the like.
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Summary: The next best thing to actually serving on a carrier!
Review: I've seen lots of movies and television programs which have featured carrier operations (such as VICTORY AT SEA and BRIDGES AT TOKO-RI) and have read books such as Bogeys and Bandits which have described how tricky it can be to land on an aircraft carrier. But Tom Clancy's latest nonfiction work covers the whole gamut of carrier operations, from the evolution of aircraft carriers to the construction of today's aircraft carriers, to the different aircraft, to the personnel--the pilots, catapult officers and flight directors, for example. This book should be read by anyone who is interested in the Navy or in naval aviation. I only wish I had had this book before Operation Desert Fox--it would have been a wonderful reference to keep by my radio and computer as I followed the events from the Persian Gulf theater.
Rating: 
Summary: This book may be nonfiction, but there is some nonsense
Review: This book was a work of art in itself, and introduces the reader to almost every aspect of the aircraft carrier, the prized posession of the United States Navy. But however, the hypothetical situations are nonsense. Clancy picked India as his theater to explain the use of the carrier, and this was one mistake he will regret forever. India is no way an antagonist to the united states, and in no way wishes or wished to take over the island nation of sri lanka. Also, there is no possible way a single carrier group can defeat an entire nation's air force! Tom Clancy picked an awful theater to hypothetically explain the use of the carrier, and after reading my review, i hope he will not consider choosing such a theater again. This hypothetical nonsense turned a potential work of art into a proposterous bunk with a sour aftertaste.
Rating:
Summary: a must for military buffs
Review: This is a most unusual book in that it goes into excruciating detail about the Navy, the Air Force and carriers. In fact, even though I found it fascinating reading, it's more than most people would want to know unless you're a real fanatic. At times I felt that a foreign power could learn how to duplicate our success by reading this book -- hopefully Clancy left some military secrets a secret!The most enjoyable parts of the book for me were the descriptions of the pilot training (and the amazing prowess of Navy flyers who have to catch a "string" upon landing so they don't fly right off the deck), life aboard a carrier and the interview with the navy official. The chapters devoted to the layout and structure of the carriers were less interesting from my point of view. A very detailed approach to carriers and their role in protecting our role in world affairs.
Rating:
Summary: a must for military buffs
Review: This is a most unusual book in that it goes into excruciating detail about the Navy, the Air Force and carriers. In fact, even though I found it fascinating reading, it's more than most people would want to know unless you're a real fanatic. At times I felt that a foreign power could learn how to duplicate our success by reading this book -- hopefully Clancy left some military secrets a secret! The most enjoyable parts of the book for me were the descriptions of the pilot training (and the amazing prowess of Navy flyers who have to catch a "string" upon landing so they don't fly right off the deck), life aboard a carrier and the interview with the navy official. The chapters devoted to the layout and structure of the carriers were less interesting from my point of view. A very detailed approach to carriers and their role in protecting our role in world affairs.
Rating:
Summary: Great Overview
Review: This is just a wonderful book on the topic. Clancy and co. have done a great job of taking the reader through the ships in question and really explaining the different types, parts, and jobs associated with an Aircraft Carrier. Clancy also does a good job in explaining what it is like to live and work on one of these ships. He also takes us through some of the training that takes place to get into the job. He also adds a good amount of detail of what the typical types of missions these ships and battle groups have today, what they did in the cold war and the possible missions upcoming. I was surprised at the number of countries that also have aircraft carriers not to mention the different types the U.S has. Clancy takes us through a long inventory of all the different countries that have aircraft carriers today, what kind of ships they are and what are the strengths and weaknesses of the model. Another interesting part of the book was the description of all the countries currently making the aircraft carriers and how good / bad they are at it. I enjoyed the fact that the catapult technology really only comes the U.S. as no one else has mastered it. Overall this was an interesting, easy to read and very informative book. If you are interested in aircraft carriers then this should be your first stopping point. A good book well worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Great Overview
Review: This is just a wonderful book on the topic. Clancy and co. have done a great job of taking the reader through the ships in question and really explaining the different types, parts, and jobs associated with an Aircraft Carrier. Clancy also does a good job in explaining what it is like to live and work on one of these ships. He also takes us through some of the training that takes place to get into the job. He also adds a good amount of detail of what the typical types of missions these ships and battle groups have today, what they did in the cold war and the possible missions upcoming. I was surprised at the number of countries that also have aircraft carriers not to mention the different types the U.S has. Clancy takes us through a long inventory of all the different countries that have aircraft carriers today, what kind of ships they are and what are the strengths and weaknesses of the model. Another interesting part of the book was the description of all the countries currently making the aircraft carriers and how good / bad they are at it. I enjoyed the fact that the catapult technology really only comes the U.S. as no one else has mastered it. Overall this was an interesting, easy to read and very informative book. If you are interested in aircraft carriers then this should be your first stopping point. A good book well worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Amazin' But Flawed and Idealistic
Review: This is one of Clancy's best. Not only is it interesting and fun to read, it is very informative and the information is accurate with a few exceptions. These include the misnaming of certain carriers. As good as this book is, there are many things I simply didn't like about this book. First of all, the book was very idealistic and was more of a propoganda work rather than some kind of reference book. For example, when Clancy explains the air wing layouts, he claims that a certain air wing with less fighters but more striking ability can hit more targets on land and the older 90 plane air wing's land-attack capability was much more limited. He doesn't know that, does he? He never took into consideration that the carriers during the Cold War never actually fought, so it can't be safely said that such and such an air wing is more capable than the other. He also doesn't consider the amount of threats in the world today when talking about the less ships and planes, the more effective. He even says that the current naval aviation structure is much better and is less complicated, when he doesn't even know how effective the previous standings were and how bad things are getting in the world. Also, when talking about the new carriers, he doesn't consider the complications such a program would make and believes carriers are simple "help the needy" machines when they are actually powerful weapons of war. Nor does he ever mention anything about the serious costs that future programs will take and just goes rambling about how cool things will be and how much better things will get. All this, in a way, insults the Navy, because it shows them as a group that simply just buys expensive stuff and doesn't care about their task at hand. Another thing that was seriously flawed was the explaination of missions and tactics and the fiction. The missions are well shown, but they are not fully explained. They are also described in a way as being"totally effective," which is not true. it takes more than just a carrier to win a war. The tactics are also shown as being 100% effective, also not true. Finally, as someone from India has stated, the fiction was not only short and screwed up, it totally defaces what India is really like. It shows them as ruthess, evil conquistadors, without ever really considering everything to the story. The news report showing the destruction of the Indian ship was totally unreal and propogandic. No such thing would take place, especially when sensitive information is present and would surely have been censored. Overall, this book was pretty good, but there were many errors and was very biased, propgandic and based on the authors mind. next time, Clancy should write it like a real reference book, accurate to the last detail, unbiased, realistic, or never write non-fiction again. Maybe he jsut didn't know what he was talking about.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Book on Carriers... but....
Review: This is the first book in the Military Library Series that I've read, and I was very impressed. I've read every fiction book that Tom Clancy has written, and even played the games, and I love his style and his detail. I have always been fascinated by the Military, in all parts of the world, and this book has been a great insight into the finer details of CVBG's. However, and there is a BIG however... Tom Clancy's research comes to naught with his "scenario". The scenario on India-Pakistan-Sri Lanka is the most ill researched, insightless piece of trash I've seen in a long time.. certainly don't expect it from Tom Clancy. This is ample evidence that Tom Clancy's "brilliant" military and strategic mind has not understood the smallest thing about Indian politics. I am not speaking to "defend" my country. I am someone who detests almost every Indian politician and leader. But the facts remain: 1. India has never agressed. In all Indo-Pak ars, India was the attacked nation, defending the "disputed" region of Kashmir. 2. Sri Lanka - Birth of a Nation? Sri Lanka has been an independent nation for YEARS now... Where did the struggle for independence come from? India has only ASSISTED the Sri Lankan government AT THEIR REQUEST by supplying the Indian Peace Keeping Force. 3. Divide and Rule? India? That's plain stupidity and an Insult. India has enough internal division keeping it suffering - the religions and the castes.. why would it provoke matters by playing games in the Very friendly Sri Lanka. 4. India has a clear No-First-Strike Policy. India will not strike Pakistan. And even neglecting that, India does not have a fanatical military leadership problem.. In India, the problem is the lack of power the military has.. No influence over the law. This problem is in Pakistan. 5. The use of Roshan Gandhi was childish. An unnecessary dig at the Nehru Gandhi dynasty. 6. Even more childish was the Arjuan Ranatunga character, a straight lift from the champion cricketer Arjuna Ranatunga. All in all, I was VERY disappointed, and very offended. I was very happy to read a similar comment from another reader. Nice to know someone in the US understands India.. Clearly Tom Clancy doesn't, and we all know the US Govt doesn't And to the guy who said "It wasn't too far fetched"... You're not qualified.. obviously you know nothing about India.. One small piece that made me totally lose any posive feelings about this otherwise wonderful book. Comments are very much invited.
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