With a carrier battle group positioned off the cost of Libya, a no-fly zone over Libya could then be declared and enforced.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Regime change in Libya

With China expanding, its scope of operations to include the Indian Ocean, we should consider homeporting a carrier battle group in Western Australia at Fremantle.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Cruising for a bruising?

During operations, Nimitz-class carriers sail at the centre of a carrier battle group of ships that includes guided missile cruisers, destroyers, frigates, logistics ships and submarines.

BBC: News | In Depth | Military Fact Files

The US Navy has a carrier battle group in the Gulf - centred on the USS Carl Vinson - and a second, with the USS Enterprise , in the Arabian Sea.

BBC: F/A-18C prepares to launch from the USS Enterprise

Since World War II up until 2008, we maintained the dominant military force in the Mediterranean, consisting of at least one carrier battle group and an amphibious Ready Group with an embarked Marine battalion, along with logistic support ships and other units.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: A call to courage over Benghazi

In a series of speeches over the past few days - at Notre Dame, at the American Enterprise Institute and at the Naval Academy - the outgoing Secretary of Defense has sounded a series of warnings that the ship of state, or at least the carrier battle group that protects it, is headed for the rocks.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Gates turns off the lights

China will take longer still to gain the expertise needed to deploy a carrier-based battle group, with all its supporting vessels.

ECONOMIST: China��s aircraft-carrier