Originally posted by Dreadnought
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The Americans made the decision that unlike the Russians they would not overly arm the carriers and use them as part of a system. The Russians tried to roll it all into one and ended up with cruisers that happened to carry a small amount of aircraft. Different methods reflect different operational realities. The Russians where always a continental power first and foremost, they behaved more like the Germans of WW2 with raider type ships (Ocean denial over dominance). The kind of warship that could operate either on its own or as part of a very small group, hense the heavier defenses. The US carriers would never go into harms way with less than half a dozen specialty escorts, probably more, so there was no real need to arm them to the teeth. Just carry more aircraft, operate them conventionally (CTOL) and have a high sortie rate.
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