Without air bases and aircraft carriers, the US government’s laws and orders are completely impotent and can be easily ignored.
The wars in Ukraine, Saudi vs Yemen, and Afghanistan revealed that the US military is impotent without air power.
When a US special forces unit in Afghanistan couldn’t get air support, they were nearly wiped out by mere goat herds with old rifles.
Airbases and aircraft carriers can be destroyed by hypersonic missiles and orbital weapons.