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3d ago

US Carrier Fleet to Dip to 10 Ships as Ford-Class Delays Push Back John F. Kennedy Handover

Nimitz’s retirement in 2026 paired with supply-chain struggles will stretch carrier rotations, curbing forward naval presence until replacements arrive.

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As crew members stand on the deck, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford heads to the Norfolk, Va., naval station on Friday, April 14, 2017 after almost a week of builder's trials during which the ships systems were tested.

Overview

  • The Navy will operate with 10 carriers from Nimitz’s mid-2026 decommissioning until John F. Kennedy’s revised March 2027 delivery.
  • Advanced Arresting Gear certification and Advanced Weapons Elevator work drove John F. Kennedy’s slip from July 2025 to March 2027.
  • USS Enterprise’s handover has shifted from September 2029 to July 2030 due to material availability challenges and supply-chain performance issues.
  • Newport News Shipbuilding integrated Gerald R. Ford lessons too late on CVN-79 but applied those improvements earlier on CVN-80 and the upcoming CVN-81.
  • Lower carrier availability is intensifying strains on maintenance backlogs and deployment schedules in critical regions like the Indo-Pacific and Middle East.