--- title: "Why the Navy can’t just get rid of this aircraft carrier" date: "2020-04-29" modified: "2020-10-30" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-tactical/uss-truman-carrier-retirement/" categories: - "Military News" - "Ships" - "Tactical" --- # Why the Navy can’t just get rid of this aircraft carrier ![]() The Navy needs to start saving money, and one of the ways it wants to do that is by retiring one of its old Nimitz-class carriers, the USS *Harry S. Truman*, rather than just overhauling the ship. The *Truman* is barely halfway through its lifespan. It began its service in 1998, is scheduled for a nuclear refueling in 2024, and set to serve for at least 50 years. But the plan to retire the carrier is already facing opposition from Congress, despite saving billions of dollars and ensuring the construction of two new *Ford*-class carriers. --- ![]() The USS Gerald R. Ford. Congressional leaders were "[blindsided]()" by the Navy's decision, especially considering a number of seapower doctrines the move will break, including the minimum force law (yes, it's a law, 10 U.S. Code § 5062) of maintaining at least 11 aircraft carriers and a call for an increase to 12 carriers. Resistance to the Navy's plan is already mounting among members of Congress, despite the backing of acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford. The arguments for the retirement of the *Truman* include a - billion savings over the next few decades, increased employment for the building of two new *Ford*-class carriers, and a 12-carrier Navy. Former seapower subcommittee chairman Rep. Rob Wittman questioned the move as it relates to the Navy's plan of providing two carriers constantly on station with three more able to surge forward. ![]() The USS John C. Stennis, the 7th Nimitz-class carrier in the Persian Gulf. Retiring the *Truman* would keep the total force of carriers below the number required for several years, which is what lawmakers are currently concerned about most. The Navy would have a difficult time with its global power projection abilities. Still, Gen. Dunford argued about the wisdom of refueling a 25-year-old ship vs. investing in new technologies that would allow for greater projection of global power and the use of new technologies, such as unmanned vehicles. But Congress has to deal with the monetary issues of having already purchased the *Truman's* new reactor cores and the feasibility of new technologies to be integrated into the Navy's maritime strike capabilities. "I don't think the president's going to turn to the secretary of defense and say, 'where are my unmanned surface vessels' when a conflict breaks out in the world," said Rep. Elaine Luria. "They're going to turn and ask, 'where are my aircraft carriers?'" ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()