Retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral John Miller says the U.S. fleet of 11 aircraft
carriers falls short of demand because only a handful are combat-ready at any
time. Maintenance is a key bottleneck: at least one carrier is typically in a
multi-year refuel and overhaul while routine maintenance and training take
others offline. Miller applies a rough divide-by-three readiness rule—of nine
available carriers, three are deployable, three have just returned and three are
preparing to deploy. That readiness squeeze prompted the redeployment of the
only Asia-based carrier, USS George Washington, to replace USS Abraham Lincoln
and operate with USS George H.W. Bush in the Middle East; two carrier strike
groups there increase local firepower but reduce U.S. presence elsewhere.
