Reference News Network, March 18 report, according to the U.S. "Stars and Stripes" website, March 15 report, the retirement plan for the "Nimitz" aircraft carrier will be postponed, and the service life of this oldest U.S. Navy aircraft carrier will be extended by about 10 months compared to the original plan. The U.S. Navy confirmed that the "Nimitz" will remain in service until March 2027.
It was originally scheduled to start the retirement process this year. The "Defense News" website first reported the news of the extension of the "Nimitz" service period. Extending the service period of the "Nimitz" will allow the U.S. Navy to maintain a minimum of 11 active aircraft carriers as required by Congress.
The next "Ford"-class aircraft carrier of the U.S. Navy, the "John F. Kennedy," is scheduled to be delivered and officially commissioned in March 2027. In a statement on the 13th, the Pentagon disclosed details, stating that it had issued a contract to Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News, Virginia, "to plan ahead and have enough time to procure supplies to prepare for the retirement and fuel unloading of the 'Nimitz'." The related work "is expected to be completed before March 2027."
The "Nimitz" left its home port in Bremerton, Washington, for the last time on March 7 to participate in military exercises.
In an email sent from the carrier on March 8, Commander Peter Pagano, a spokesperson for the "Nimitz" carrier, said that the "Nimitz" will be deployed to the area under the responsibility of the U.S. Southern Command this spring as part of the U.S. Navy's Fourth Fleet "Southern Seas 2026" exercise deployment.
The "Nimitz," which will transfer its home port from Bremerton to the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia, returned to Bremerton in December last year. Previously, it completed what was originally expected to be its final deployment.
During this deployment, the 17th Carrier Air Wing aboard the carrier participated in strikes against Islamic State targets in Somalia. The various squadrons aboard the "Nimitz" completed more than 8,500 sorties, and the total flight time of its fighters, reconnaissance aircraft, and helicopters was approximately 17,000 hours.
This carrier has visited ports in countries such as Malaysia, Bahrain, Oman, and the UAE. This aircraft carrier, which has been in service for nearly 51 years, was commissioned in May 1975 and has participated in many conflicts and crisis operations after the Vietnam War, including the Iranian Revolution, the Sirte Bay incident, over a decade of the Cold War, Operation Desert Storm, follow-up actions after the September 11 attacks, the Afghanistan War, the Iraq War, and the Syrian War, as well as numerous less well-known operations around the world. (Translated by Yang Xinpeng)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7618471567064662562/
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