8 Minutes ... Pause for eight minutes, and experience how long it feels. Now imagine that same eight minutes spent pinned down by someone trying to kill you. The next-generation of aircraft carrier must fulfill old and new roles alike. The question now: what will it look like, and how much will it cost? Strategic air superiority is invaluable in every single future war scenario, crucial to hitting land-based targets and field troop support. Army planners reckon that eight minutes is the maximum amount of time from initial target call to weapons on target. As the U.S. Navy literally reinvents itself over the next decade, questions turn to the role of the premier symbol of U.S.