Retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral John Miller stated that while the U.S. possesses 11 aircraft carriers, it is far from having enough naval power to meet all needs. Eleven carriers sound like a lot, but at any given time, only a handful are operational. Maintenance remains a critical bottleneck; typically, at least one carrier is undergoing a multi-year overhaul and refueling, while routine maintenance and training keep others unavailable for deployment. Miller believes that determining deployment readiness requires dividing the fleet's total number by three: if nine carriers are available each day, then three are deployable, three have just returned, and three are preparing to set sail again. This formula explains why the U.S. was forced to redeploy its only Asia-Pacific carrier, the USS George Washington, to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln and operate alongside the USS George H.W. Bush in the Middle East. Having two carrier strike groups in the Middle East represents considerable firepower, but it comes at a cost elsewhere.
