The United States Navy aircraft carrier fleet is set to experience a temporary reduction, dropping from 11 to 10 carriers, as the USS Nimitz is decommissioned next year. This reduction is expected to last for approximately a year. The news comes as the delivery of a new carrier faces delays.
Budget documents reveal that the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), initially slated for delivery by July 2025, is now expected to be delivered by March 2027. According to the Department of Defense Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget estimates, the delay is attributed to the need to complete the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) certification and ongoing work on the Advanced Weapons Elevator (AWE).
"The CVN 79 delivery date shifted from July 2025 to March 2027 (preliminary acceptance TBD) to support completion of Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) certification and continued Advanced Weapons Elevator (AWE) work," the FY 2026 shipbuilding budget book states. Both the AAG and AWE are systems integrated into the Ford-class carriers.
HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia is applying lessons learned from previous builds to the new ships in the class. Todd Corillo, a spokesperson for HII, told USNI News that the construction of the John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) was already significantly advanced when many lessons from the Ford class were realized, making it difficult to implement timely changes. However, the Enterprise (CVN 80) and Doris Miller (CVN 81) have been able to incorporate and leverage these lessons earlier in the construction process.
In related news, the USS Nimitz carrier strike group is currently sailing to the Middle East from the South China Sea amidst heightened tensions between Israel and Iran, according to a U.S. official. This deployment of the Navy's oldest active aircraft carrier is seen as a symbolic move.