Cruising CVBGs and Horizon MAGs: An Alternative Approach to Naval Forward Presence for the 21st Century.

Since the end of World War II, aircraft carrier battle groups CVBGs have formed the core component of naval power, forward deployed to regions of the world vital to U.S. interests. These formations have become the standard building blocks of naval forward presence, rotated overseas to provide the CINCs with balanced capabilities to deal with a variety of present and future threats. Faced with the dangers and challenges envisioned for the 21st Century, should the rotational deployment of CVBGs continue to be the modus operandi of naval forward presence Existing policy calls for the continued pre-eminence of the CVBG into the next century in support of Forward. . .from the Sea. An alternate method combines two innovative proposals into a single concept of forward presence. The carrier continues to play a leading role, but would be deployed and operated under the concept of cruising proposed by Admiral Paul Reason. Maritime Action Groups would be created and would remain permanently deployed to key regions of the world, with crews rotated to the ships under the CNO SSGs Horizon concept. Naval forces packaged, deployed, and operated under these two concepts would provide the CINCs with the naval forward presence to execute the National Military Strategy of Shape, Respond, and Prepare Now.