The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) of the U.S. Navy has recently returned to sea after departing from Naval Base San Diego, marking the resumption of its operational activities following a prolonged period of maintenance and local training. The ship is currently conducting exercises within the area of responsibility of the U.S. 3rd Fleet, in the eastern Pacific.
According to information released by the U.S. Navy, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, and flagship of Carrier Strike Group 9, will be carrying out over the coming days a series of activities aimed at strengthening the readiness level, coordination, and combat capability of the embarked air wing. These also include integration exercises among the different participating units, aircraft, and escort elements.
The departure of the USS Theodore Roosevelt takes place after an extensive cycle of scheduled maintenance and training that occupied much of 2025. These tasks were required following the demanding operational deployment the aircraft carrier completed between 2023 and 2024, a period during which it remained away from its home port for 278 consecutive days, with operations conducted both in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East.
During that deployment, the carrier strike group maintained a sustained presence in high-tension areas, participating in deterrence missions, maritime security operations, and support to joint operations both in the western Pacific and within the area of operations of the U.S. 5th Fleet. As such, after several months, and following its departure from the Middle East in September 2024, CVN-71 began its return transit to the United States, finally arriving on the West Coast in October of that same year.
Present and future of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt
This return of the aircraft carrier marked the beginning of a key recovery phase, which included maintenance periods—better known as Planned Incremental Availability (PIA)—technical inspections, and training in the United States aimed at fully restoring the operational readiness of the ship, its air wing, and the units that make up the strike group. This process is standard following prolonged deployments, especially for Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, which continue to represent a central pillar of U.S. Navy power.
Finally, in this context, the exercises currently being carried out under the umbrella of the 3rd Fleet represent an intermediate step within the operational cycle of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, aimed at certifying the readiness of the strike group and its response capability across different scenarios. While no new international deployment has been announced so far, these sorties could constitute a clear indicator of CVN-71’s gradual return to full operational activity.
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