ABSTRACT
The principal evidence of the size of the carrier is the size of the floating drydocks which the Soviets have obtained from Sweden and Japan for their Northern and Pacific fleets; they suggest a displacement of about 60,000 tons. Readers will argue that recent Soviet naval writings show an increased appreciation of the role of the carrier, and, moreover, that there is a link between such writings and the carrier decision. Even though the present Soviet Navy claims global capacity, it still displays many of the characteristics of its coastal defense past. The Soviets have gone to remarkable lengths to insure that their links back to the Soviet Union are reliable and secure. One must ask whether the emergence of a Soviet carrier, which might be the basis of an independent battle group far from home, can affect the profoundly centralized character of Soviet naval operations.
