Interesting discussion, but I have yet to see anyone propose realistic ways to allow land-based aircraft to stand in for the carrier. What happens when (not if) an "ally" denies overflight rights? Or refuses to sanction US operations from their airfields? Or shuts down/declines to renew a base lease? And what happens when the same determined adversary is perfectly willing to devote massive effort to shooting down tankers and/or AWACs? Or someone hits a CONUS base that supports said HVAs? Land-based airpower is if anything more vulnerable than sea-based options because it is by nature static when it's not in use (you could also say that about a carrier in port, which is when I would contend that it's most vulnerable). F-22s might be stealthy, but the KC-10s and E-3s that support them certainly are not.