The great virtue of carriers, say the admirals, is versatility: last March Sea Harriers from Illustrious escorted allied reconnaissance planes over Southern Iraq.

ECONOMIST: The future of the Royal Navy

In early March of last year, for instance, Chinese trawlers dangerously harassed two unarmed U.S. Navy reconnaissance ships, the Victorious and the Impeccable, in the Yellow and South China Seas.

FORBES: The Other Incident in Korea