USS Nimitz completed another milestone to get ready for deployment. (US Navy)
Aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) completed its first post-planned incremental availability exercise while under way in the Pacific Ocean on 27 September, taking another step towards returning to a deployment-ready state, the US Navy (USN) confirmed in a statement on 15 October.
The exercise ended with the Nimitz officers and crew solving a Final Evaluation Problem (FEP), a command assessment tailored to the unique Nimitz training portfolio and expectations of the ship's upcoming deployment, USN officials noted.
Nimitz now enters the pre-deployment phase, which focuses on preparing the ship for its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), and eventual deployment, USN officials said.
Nimitz completed its Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) on 22 June 2024, ending a nearly seven-month maintenance period that began in January.
The navy is extending the carrier's service life to offset delays in the construction of the Gerald Ford-class carriers, which are slated to replace the ageing Nimitz-class ships.
For more information about Ford-class issues, please seePentagon budget 2025: US Navy continues Ford-class carrier funding, but programme slips indicated .
Initially, Nimitz was slated to retire in 2025. Now the navy has scheduled the ship's retirement to May 2026.
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