The United States Navy’s second-oldest active nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Nimitz-class USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), is one step closer to beginning her next deployment, the United States Navy announced on Friday. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard-based supercarrier successfully completed sea trials, which marked the “early completion” of the ship’s Planned Incremental Availability.
The announcement comes just weeks after the San Diego-based USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) conducted “routine operations” in the Pacific in advance of her upcoming deployment, which is likely to begin later this spring.
The United States Navy hasn’t indicated where CVN-71, named for the 26th president of the United States, will be deployed. There has been speculation that USS Theodore Roosevelt could head to the Middle East, possibly to relieve one of the three supercarriers now in the region.
USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), the U.S. Navy’s 10th and final Nimitz-class flattop, arrived in the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility on Thursday, joining the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), which was dispatched to the Arabian Sea in February, and the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), now operating in the Red Sea.
It was just last week that CVN-78, the U.S. Navy’s newest and largest aircraft carrier, broke the record for the longest post-Vietnam War-era deployment. She has been at sea 304 days as of Friday, and could remain in the region for at least a few more weeks.
Going As Planned
The PIA is the scheduled period for the U.S. Navy’s aircraft carriers, during which repairs, modernization, and upgrades to the warships’ systems are carried out to sustain their 50-year service life and ensure they can meet “future operational demands,” the service explained.
CVN-69, known to its crew as the IKE, is the second carrier to complete a timely PIA at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, following that of CVN-77, which completed her PIA in November 2024.
“The primary drivers behind IKE’s successful availability are the NNSY, Ship’s Force, and contractor teams who ensure the ship is materially ready to fight,” said Project Superintendent, Cmdr. Jason Downs. “The entirety of the project team mustered more than 4,000 people daily, all with one common vision—deliver IKE, fully mission capable, back to the fleet before our commitment date. The highly skilled tradespeople and sharp engineering acumen are the heroes in the IKE FY25 PIA story.”
During the PIA, the team at NNSY completed several “firsts,” including installing a main seawater valve for the waterborne carrier and conducting nozzle block inspections of the ship’s main engine high-pressure turbines, which will help streamline repairs of similar components in the fleet. The team also effectively managed the workload with its available workforce.
“This team thoughtfully budgeted workload and workforce to execute more than 25,000 resource days of new work,” added Downs. “This team also meticulously managed to execute the required new work under budget, saving 2,000 resource days.”
The announcement of the completion of the PIA also follows reports that three sailors were injured last week on the carrier following a small fire onboard. All three sailors have since returned to duty, the service confirmed.
U.S. Navy Still Stretched Thin
Although the U.S. Navy officially has 11 nuclear-powered carriers in its fleet, the length of the PIA, which will be followed by months of sea trials, highlights how long it takes to prepare each for their next deployment. Besides the USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, it is unclear whether any other aircraft carriers will be able to begin another deployment in 2026.
With all three of the currently deployed aircraft carriers operating in CENTCOM’s area of responsibility, the U.S. Navy has been stretched thinner than normal.
Work on the second Gerald R. Ford-class supercarrier, the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), is running behind schedule; she won’t be commissioned until next March. That has led the U.S. Navy to delay the decommissioning of the USS Nimitz (CVN-68), the service’s oldest active nuclear-powered flattop.
CVN-68 is now on a farewell tour of sorts, circling South America, due to her being too large to transit the Panama Canal. This month, she took part in joint operations with the Ecuadorian Navy and made a port visit to Valparaiso, Chile, as part of the U.S. Navy’s “Southern Seas 2026” exercises.
Current plans call for USS Nimitz to make port visits to Brazil and Jamaica and to conduct joint drills with the maritime forces of several Latin American nations.
A Critical Imperative
Although it may be a while longer before USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is ready to begin her next deployment, the service may seek to ensure she remains able to complete the mission.
“Based on the current global security landscape, IKE’s early delivery is a critical national security imperative,” said Downs. “An aircraft carrier is one of the most powerful instruments of national will, and having one delayed in the shipyard creates a significant strategic gap at a time when US military presence is in high demand across multiple theaters.”
