The US Navy's USS Nimitz arrived at the San Diego military port on the west coast of the United States on February 26, ending the ship's 305-day overseas deployment mission. Nimitz, a veteran who has been in service for 45 years, was finally able to return to his home port for recuperation after completing a long deployment mission.
However, because the "Nimitz" ended the deployment mission, the United States currently only has two aircraft carriers in the world, the "Roosevelt" and the "Eisenhower", which can be dispatched.
The NIMitz arrives in San Diego Image source: U.S. Naval Association News website
According to the U.S. Naval Association news website reported on February 27, the aircraft carrier "Nimitz" arrived in San Diego on February 26, local time, ending a 9-month deployment state. The Nimitz is expected to return to its home port in Bremerton, Washington, as planned, after unloading its carrier-based aircraft wing in San Diego.
Despite the nine-month deployment of the Nimitz, the number of exercises in hotspots has not been high. In the past nine months, the Nimitz has participated in three dual-carrier exercises in the South China Sea, which were conducted in July and August last year and In February this year. In addition to this, the NIMITZ conducted two joint exercises with the Indian Navy and the Royal Australian Navy.
USS Nimitz conducts joint exercises with USS Roosevelt in the South China Sea Image source: U.S. Navy Seventh Fleet Command website
The aircraft carrier NIMitz participated in three military missions, namely Operation Freedom Outpost against the Afghan terrorist organization, Operation "Firm Determination" against Islamic terrorist organizations in the Middle East, and Operation Octave Quartz in the Middle East to maintain military deterrence against Iran.
The USS Nimitz is conducting Operation Octave Quartz Image credit: U.S. Africa Command website
The return of the Nimitz to the United States means that the United States, which has 11 supercarriers, can only deploy the ROOSEVELt and the USS Eisenhower in the world. In other words, the months before the USS Lincoln was able to enter the war-ready equipment were the time when the relative strength of the U.S. Navy was vacant worldwide. If there is a real emergency, the U.S. Navy will have to mobilize the CARL Vinson and other amphibious assault ships that are on F-35 training missions on the West Coast.
At present, the aircraft carrier "Eisenhower" is on the way to the Middle East, while the "Roosevelt" is on duty off the coast of the Philippines, and there is only one amphibious assault ship "Makin Island" in the entire Middle East