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 readin

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.