I grew up in a pacifist family, and still attend a Mennonite church. But I also have what I think is a realistic view of history and geopolitics. I recognize

I grew up in a pacifist family, and still attend a Mennonite church. But I also have what I think is a realistic view of history and geopolitics. I recognize the Enterprise, and more generally the U.S. carrier fleet, played a significant role in the relative peace we've had in the world since WWII. Sure, there have been wars since then. But the total loss of lives, and total destruction from those wars, has been relatively minor in comparison to wars of the past. Nations only go to war, and only continue fighting, as long as they think they can gain from it somehow -- land, resources, safety, ideological spread, whatever. Having a carrier group parked off your coast ready to unleash fury tends to cut into those possible gains, and therefore deters nations from entering into hostilities. The value proposition of "negotiating" becomes higher than that of "fighting" in a lot of marginal cases. Strategic weapons (like carriers and nukes) in essence win wars by causing them not to be fought. From where I stand, that's a win -- not just for "my side", but for humanity as a whole.