U.S. Aircraft Carrier "Nimitz" Delays Decommissioning

Reference News Network reported on March 18 According to the U.S. "Stars and Stripes" website on March 15, the retirement plan for the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier will be delayed, extending the service time of the oldest aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy by about 10 months compared to the original plan. The U.S. Navy confirmed that the USS Nimitz will remain in service until March 2027.

It was originally scheduled to begin the retirement process this year. The "Defense News" website was the first to report the extension of the USS Nimitz's service. Extending the service life of the USS Nimitz will allow the U.S. Navy to maintain a minimum of 11 active aircraft carriers as required by Congress.

The next U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, the USS John F. Kennedy, a Ford-class carrier, is scheduled to be delivered and officially enter service in March 2027. The Pentagon announced details in a statement on the 13th, stating that a contract has been issued to Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News, Virginia, "to plan ahead and have sufficient time to procure materials to prepare for the retirement and fuel offloading of the USS Nimitz." Related work "is expected to be completed by March 2027."

The USS Nimitz last left its home port in Bremerton, Washington, on March 7 to participate in military exercises.

USS Nimitz spokesperson, Navy Commander Peter Pagano, said in an email sent from the carrier on March 8 that the USS Nimitz will be deployed this spring to the area under the responsibility of U.S. Southern Command as part of the U.S. Navy's Fourth Fleet "Southern Waters 2026" exercise deployment.

The USS Nimitz, which will transfer its home port from Bremerton to Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia, returned to Bremerton last December. Previously, it completed what was expected to be its final deployment.

During this deployment, the carrier's 17th Air Wing participated in strikes against ISIS targets in Somalia. Various squadrons aboard the USS Nimitz completed over 8,500 flight missions, with a total flight time of approximately 17,000 hours for its fighter jets, reconnaissance aircraft, and helicopters.

This carrier has visited ports in countries such as Malaysia, Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. The carrier, which has been in service for nearly 51 years, was commissioned in May 1975 and has participated in numerous conflicts and crisis operations following the Vietnam War, including the Iranian Revolution, the Gulf of Sidra incident, over a decade of the Cold War, Operation Desert Storm, post-9/11 operations, the War in Afghanistan, the Iraq War, and the Syrian War, as well as many lesser-known operations around the world. (Translated by Yang Xinpeng)