Navy Says USS Nimitz Will Put Off Retirement and Stay in Service Into Next Year
17th March 2026
Previously slated to be decommissioned in May and already past its “final cruise” last December, the carrier will be kept in service until at least March 2027. Breaking Defense first reported on the carrier’s service extension.
The new timeline for the Nimitz matches up with schedule delays in the delivery of the Ford-class USS John F. Kennedy, the Navy’s newest carrier. That ship has experienced delays in coming online, but is scheduled to enter service in March 2027.
The carrier is currently on a deployment that was originally intended to take it to its final home port of Naval Station Norfolk. Last week the ship left its home port of Naval Base Kitsap for a deployment to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility. The ship is making its way around South America on its way to Norfolk and will be the one carrier deployed to the command — where several warships are still operating — after the USS Gerald R. Ford left last month.