The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group departed Naval Base Kitsap Bremerton in Washington for a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific. This will likely be the last deployment for the USS Nimitz — oldest aircraft carrier in service — before its projected decommissioning in 2026 after 50 years of service.

The USS Carl Vinson and its escorting destroyers will soon join the Truman, marking the second time in six months that the U.S. has had two carrier strike groups in the region.

The United States is sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, a rare and provocative move as the Trump administration intensifies its bombing campaign against Houthi fighters in Yemen. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Harry S.