US Navy Ford-Class Carriers Are Here & Nimitz Carriers Are Going Nowhere Anytime Soon

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

(Washington DC) The outstanding combat performance of the U.S. Navy’s Nimitz-class carriers has earned the ships a permanent place in the annals of naval history.

These vessels have projected power, propelled and sustained air attacks, and long operated as a powerful deterrent and as a symbol of American power.

These carriers have not only launched successful war campaigns, but they have also safeguarded international waterways for decades. Protecting free commerce and movement on the seas is one of the Navy’s most important missions, given the importance of waterways to international trade.

This is one reason why the U.S. Navy does a lot of forward operations, placing carriers in areas of great significance to global maritime travel.

Is There Still a Place for the Nimitz-Class at Sea?

The Nimitz class’s deterrence mission should not be overlooked either, especially in a threat environment where China threatens Taiwan and operates a larger navy than the U.S. Superior numbers do not make for a superior Chinese navy, of course. But the Pentagon takes the threat very seriously, and indeed the U.S. Navy recently conducted dual-carrier operations in the Pacific to test the potential for a large, networked air-attack campaign.

Some observers may wonder where the Nimitz class will fit once the newer Ford class is fully operational — yet upgrades to the Nimitz carriers are not to be overlooked. In several critical areas, the Nimitz carriers have been adapted to a new, more serious threat environment.

For example, they have received a cutting-edge GPS-enabled aircraft carrier landing technology called Joint Precision Approach and Landing System. While pilots have succeeded in landing in difficult and dangerous conditions for many years, JPALS introduces a new measure of precision to a pilot’s glide scope, aiding in the descent onto a carrier deck.