USS Nimitz carrier’s final deployment sends a strong signal to China’s maritime ambitions.

The USS Nimitz, the U.S. Navy’s oldest active aircraft carrier, began its final deployment in the South China Sea, northeast of Malaysia’s Great Natuna Island, in waters increasingly patrolled by Chinese vessels and near disputed island chains.

On October 21, 2025, MT Anderson announced that the Carrier Strike Group 11 (CSG-11) arrived in the South China Sea, following its return from the Middle East. The formation, centered on the USS Nimitz (CVN-68), operates about 230 kilometers northeast of Malaysia’s Great Natuna Island, in waters increasingly patrolled by Chinese vessels and near disputed island chains. According to U.S. Navy officials, this is the USS Nimitz’s last active deployment before inactivation procedures begin in 2026.
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Across her half-century of service, the USS Nimitz took part in Operation Desert Storm, supported campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, and operated as a floating airbase performing a wide range of missions essential to the U.S. maritime strategy. (Picture source: USS Nimitz)

The Carrier Strike Group 11 (CSG-11), led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68), positioned itself in the South China Sea approximately 230 kilometers northeast of Malaysia’s Great Natuna Island. The deployment followed a high-speed transit from the U.S. Central Command area through the Malacca and Singapore Straits and marks the last operational voyage of the Nimitz before inactivation procedures begin in 2026. The group’s presence serves as a demonstration of continued U.S. freedom of navigation operations and regional engagement in a maritime zone characterized by overlapping territorial claims and increasing Chinese activity. Its arrival coincides with an ongoing pattern of U.S. and allied naval operations focused on ensuring open access to international waters, safeguarding critical sea lines of communication, and countering coercive practices at sea. The deployment also symbolizes the operational continuity of the U.S. carrier fleet as the Navy prepares to transition from the Nimitz class to the newer Ford-class vessels.

Carrier Strike Group 11, known as the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, is a formation of the U.S. Third Fleet headquartered at Naval Station Everett, Washington. It is commanded by Rear Admiral Maximilian Clark and consists of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz as flagship, the guided-missile cruisers USS Lake Erie (CG-70) and USS Princeton (CG-59), and several Arleigh Burke-class destroyers under Destroyer Squadron 9. Its embarked air component, Carrier Air Wing 17, includes F/A-18E/F Super Hornets for air superiority and strike missions, EA-18G Growlers for electronic attack, E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes for early warning and command and control, MH-60R and MH-60S Seahawks for anti-submarine and logistics operations, and C-2 Greyhound aircraft for carrier onboard delivery. This composition allows the group to operate as an integrated air, surface, and subsurface force. CSG-11 is designed to remain at sea for extended periods and to carry out independent operations across multiple theaters while sustaining its logistical requirements through underway replenishment and attached support ships.

The operational purpose of Carrier Strike Group 11 encompasses sea control, air defense, power projection, maritime security, and deterrence within and beyond U.S. regional command areas. Its air wing provides persistent strike capability, long-range reconnaissance, and coordinated targeting through airborne command platforms. The E-2D aircraft ensure early detection of aerial and surface threats, while the EA-18G Growlers are tasked with disrupting radar and communication networks to reduce enemy situational awareness. Surface escorts equipped with Aegis combat systems extend layered air and missile defense over the formation, while destroyers and cruisers conduct surface warfare and anti-submarine operations. Rotary-wing aircraft extend detection ranges against underwater threats and provide essential support functions, including medical evacuation and search and rescue. These combined systems enable the strike group to operate independently under high threat conditions and to participate in joint or multinational operations where interoperability is required. Its configuration reflects the standard architecture of modern U.S. carrier strike groups employed worldwide.

Since its re-designation in 2004, Carrier Strike Group 11 has carried out numerous deployments in the Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Middle Eastern theaters. It has conducted combat operations during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, contributing thousands of air sorties over Afghanistan and Iraq. The group’s ships have also participated in maritime security patrols and counter-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, safeguarding commercial routes and coalition logistics lines. It has taken part in major multinational exercises such as Malabar with India, RIMPAC with Pacific partners, and Valiant Shield with Japan and Australia, reinforcing operational coordination among allied and partner navies. These exercises included anti-submarine warfare, air defense, and surface action drills under realistic combat conditions. The group’s previous deployments demonstrated sustained operational readiness, continuous integration of updated aviation and shipborne systems, and adaptability to regional requirements across both the U.S. Fifth and Seventh Fleet areas of responsibility.

During 2025, the Nimitz and its strike group moved from the South China Sea through the Singapore and Malacca Straits into the Indian Ocean in June, following the escalation of the Israel–Iran confrontation. The redeployment toward the Middle East aimed to reinforce U.S. defenses and regional deterrence capacity before returning to the Pacific in October. The group’s re-entry into the South China Sea took place during a period of increased military activity from multiple regional actors and was interpreted as part of broader U.S. efforts to uphold freedom of navigation and maintain open sea lanes around the Spratly and Paracel Islands. The Navy has confirmed that the Nimitz will complete this mission before transferring to Norfolk Naval Station by April 12, 2026, to begin the Ship Terminal Off-load Program (STOP), the preliminary step preceding inactivation in 2027. During this final deployment, the group is expected to conduct bilateral and multilateral exercises with Southeast Asian partners and allied navies to enhance maritime interoperability, tactical coordination, and crisis response readiness across contested maritime areas.

USS Nimitz, commissioned on May 3, 1975, is the lead ship of her class and the oldest active aircraft carrier in service worldwide. The vessel displaces approximately 100,020 long tons, measures 332.8 meters in length, and is powered by two Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors generating 260,000 shaft horsepower distributed across four turbines and four shafts. This propulsion arrangement enables sustained speeds exceeding 31 knots and virtually unlimited operational range between refueling cycles, which occur only every 20 to 25 years. The carrier’s air wing capacity of up to 90 aircraft supports multi-mission operations including strike, surveillance, and logistics. Defensive armament consists of Sea Sparrow and RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile systems, two Phalanx CIWS mounts, Mk 38 25mm autocannons, and .50-caliber stations, supported by advanced sensors such as SPS-48E and SPS-49 radars, SPQ-9B fire control radar, and SPN-46 landing guidance systems. The ship accommodates a complement of approximately 5,900 personnel, including the ship’s crew and embarked air wing.

Throughout her fifty-year service history, the USS Nimitz participated in the 1979–1980 Iran hostage crisis, Operation Desert Storm in 1991, and the post-2001 operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. An accident aboard the ship in 1981, involving an EA-6B Prowler, resulted in 14 fatalities and led to the introduction of mandatory drug testing across the U.S. armed forces. Nimitz was also featured in the 1980 film The Final Countdown, which depicted a fictional scenario where the USS Nimitz and her embarked air wing find themselves transported back in time to December 6, 1941, just hours before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, making it one of the most recognizable carriers in popular culture. In 2004, her crew recorded the so-called “Tic Tac” unidentified aerial encounter off California, which later became a widely studied event within the context of naval aviation sensor data. The Nimitz logged her 350,000th arrested aircraft landing on April 22, 2023, reflecting the longevity of her operational service. Her planned inactivation in 2026 will conclude over five decades of continuous deployment cycles, multiple overhauls, and global presence missions.

The broader context surrounding the Nimitz’s final deployment reflects the ongoing maritime competition between the United States and China in the South China Sea and adjacent regions. China continues to expand artificial island installations across the Spratly and Paracel Islands, equipping them with airstrips, radar facilities, and missile batteries. The Chinese coast guard and maritime militia maintain persistent patrols and have been involved in incidents with Philippine and Vietnamese vessels. The United States, meanwhile, has maintained an active schedule of freedom of navigation operations, surveillance flights, and multilateral exercises involving allies such as Japan, the Philippines, and Australia. These developments underscore a regional environment defined by overlapping territorial claims and growing military presence by both sides. Carrier deployments like that of the Nimitz serve not only to maintain routine patrols but also to reaffirm operational access to key maritime routes connecting the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Tensions near Taiwan continue to contribute to the regional instability, with frequent incursions by Chinese aircraft and naval vessels across the median line of the Taiwan Strait. The United States has strengthened its security cooperation with regional partners through the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and defense agreements that facilitate rotational deployments and joint exercises. U.S. naval activity in the South China Sea, particularly involving aircraft carriers, is often interpreted as an indicator of Washington’s commitment to maintaining deterrence and supporting allies under existing security frameworks. For Beijing, such deployments highlight the extent of U.S. reach across the first island chain, while for regional states, they signal continued international engagement in maintaining lawful maritime use and ensuring open access to shared waters. The USS Nimitz’s last deployment, therefore, concludes the career of the oldest active U.S. aircraft carrier while reaffirming established patterns of forward deployment that have defined U.S. maritime posture for decades.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.