The US Navy will decommission the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in 2027 instead of May of this year, the navy told various media outlets late last week.
The ship's formal retirement from service will now occur at around the same time USS John F. Kennedy, the navy's second Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered carrier, will be commissioned.
The updated timeline would ensure that the navy will have a fleet of 11 operational carriers in fulfilment of US Congressional requirements.
No details have been provided on whether the extension of Nimitz's service life would enable the veteran carrier to again be deployed overseas.
The ship's final operational deployment concluded in late 2025. During that deployment, she operated for three months in the US Indo-Pacific Command area of responsibility (AOR) and nearly four months in US Central Command (CENTCOM) AOR.
While operating with the US Fifth Fleet in 2025, Nimitz supported freedom of navigation in the Arabian Sea, completing four Strait of Hormuz transits. The strike group provided power projection for CENTCOM, setting conditions for regional stability and enabling the Iran-Israel ceasefire.
Nimitz is the world's oldest aircraft carrier still in active service, having been commissioned over 50 years ago in 1975.