HONOLULU -- The easy part of newly assigning a U.S. aircraft carrier to Japan, which was to persuade the Japanese to accept a nuclear-powered vessel, has been accomplished. Now comes the hard part: deciding which one of 10 carriers should be based in the port of Yokosuka.
Deployments of the world's mightiest warships are not to be taken lightly. They are the most visible symbols of the ability of the United States to project sea power and to maintain a presence far from America's shores. In a crisis, often the first question from the White House is: "Where are the carriers?"
Indeed, the decision of which carrier to base in Japan is so complicated that it may go all the way to President George W. Bush. The move must take into account Japanese attitudes, U.S. military strategy, and American politics and economics -- much of which will be difficult to reconcile.