WORLD NAVIES 2021

It is difficult to view the last year’s naval developments through anything other than the prism of the Covid-19 pandemic. The onset of the virus quickly revealed the vulnerability of older generation warships with large crews and cramped accommodation to the spread of infection. Most notably, the aircraft carriers Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and Charles de Gaulle both had to curtail operational activity due to large Covid outbreaks.

Navies responded quickly to new realities, with new quarantining and testing regimes allowing much of their activity to be sustained after these initial setbacks. The adaptability of naval forces has also been demonstrated by frequent use of naval assets as part of the humanitarian response to the pandemic, often providing additional medical capacity where local infrastructure proved inadequate. However, the impact on government