increased to 7.9 percent in 1951, it dropped back to below 1 percent the following year. Between 1954 and 2002, annual defense outlays averaged $317.7 billion in 2002 dollars, about 1.5 times the average between 1947 and 1950. Between 1948 and 1986, the Air Force's share of the defense budget was 35 percent, the Navy's 31 percent, and the Army's 28 percent. The Navy did get a supercarrier; Johnson approved its construction on 22 June 1950. Launched in October 1955, the , at was 1.5 times the size of the Midway-class aircraft carriers. She featured an armoured flight deck just large enough and sturdy enough to land a heavy bomber carrying a small nuclear bomb. The ship was also equipped with steam catapults to assist the heavier nuclear bombers in getting airborne. The flight deck was angled, allowing the new carrier to launch and recover aircraft at the same time, and obviating the need for a flush deck. The AJ Savages were mostly based ashore. With the development of smaller and lighter nuclear weapons in the late 1950s, it became possible for them to be carried by standard Navy attack planes. See also Civilian control of the military Notes References Further reading 1949 in military history 1949 in the United States 1949 protests 20th-century history of the United States Air Force United States Navy in the 20th century Aftermath of World War II in the United States Civil–military relations Presidency of Harry S. Truman