“The mission of US Navy Carrier Strike Groups is to deliver sea control and power projection wherever the nation needs us,” said US Navy Rear Adm. Todd Whalen.
The United States Navy may not have an aircraft carrier in each of the “Seven Seas,” but it is currently operating its nuclear-powered flattops in extremely distant waters. From the Indo-Pacific to the Arctic to the Middle East, America’s carriers continue to promote strength and deter aggression.
The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the service’s largest and newest carrier, recently transited the Strait of Dover and has been operating in the North Sea. It was only last October that the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (CSG) was deployed to the same waters, but before that, it had been in 2018 since a US carrier group had been in the region. It is unclear how long CVN-78 and her escorts will remain in the region.
The carrier departed Norfolk, Virginia, earlier this summer, and it was expected to deploy to the Middle East. However, USS Nimitz (CVN-68), the Navy’s oldest nuclear-powered carrier, remains in the region. CVN-68 made a port visit to Bahrain, which could be one of her last foreign visits in what is expected to be her final deployment before she is sent to Norfolk to be decommissioned and subsequently dismantled.
US Navy Carriers Are Patrolling the Arctic and Indo-Pacific
The San Diego-based USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) departed from her homeport and headed to the waters of Alaska to take part in a large-scale Northern Edge 2025 joint naval exercise with Canada before beginning her next Indo-Pacific deployment. This year’s Northern Edge, which began on Sunday, is coinciding with the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s and US Northern Command’s annual Arctic Edge exercise. This is the first time the two exercises have run concurrently.
The USS Abraham Lincoln will take a central role in the training drills, supported by Destroyer Squadron 21.
“The mission of US Navy Carrier Strike Groups is to deliver sea control and power projection wherever the nation needs us,” said US Navy Rear Adm. Todd Whalen, the commander of Carrier Strike Group 3. “The Sailors and Marines of Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group are excited to serve alongside our joint force counterparts to demonstrate our commitment to the region and our combined lethality.”
As CSG 3 heads north to Alaska, CSG 5, including flagship USS George Washington (CVN-73), and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG-62), arrived in Guam for a scheduled port visit, the US Navy announced on Monday.
CVN-73 is the US Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, based out of Yokosuka, Japan. It departed for its current “underway” in early June. After concluding the port visit, it is unclear where the American supercarrier will head next. However, the carrier recently took part in the Australian-led exercise Talisman Sabre, carrying out joint operations with the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, which is leading the Carrier Strike Group 2025 (CSG25) during the UK’s Operation Highmast deployment to the Indo-Pacific.
Not All Aircraft Carriers Are at Sea at Once
Even as four carriers are now deployed around the world, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is undergoing its Planned Incremental Availability (PIA). The fourth Nimitz-class carrier returned to San Diego last October after a nine-month-long deployment to the Indo-Pacific and Middle East.
Only last week, the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) also arrived home to “America’s Finest City” after her equally long time at sea. The third-oldest carrier departed for a planned six-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific, but saw the mission extended due to the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
The USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is now in dry dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton, Washington, as part of an estimated 17-month Docking Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA). At the same time, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) began her own PIA in Norfolk this spring.
Earlier this month, the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) completed a five-day ammunition offload at sea following her eight-month deployment to the 5th and 6th areas of operation. The carrier will likely next undergo a PIA before her next mission.
The final Nimitz-class carrier to be built, the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), completed a 10-month maintenance period at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, followed by sea trials. It is expected that the Norfolk-based carrier will deploy this coming fall.
That leaves the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74), currently undergoing a Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News Shipbuilding, which is expected to be completed in October 2026.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu has contributed over 3,200 published pieces to more than four dozen magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
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