What’s Wrong with the USS Nimitz?
As the USS Nimitz limps toward the Indo-Pacific—its rust streaks a painful symbol of American decline—what is the Pentagon really doing about deterring a Chinese run on Taiwan?
Video of the USS Nimitz, the namesake of America’s most successful nuclear powered aircraft carrier class, has proliferated around the world as it makes its final journey as a ship-of-the-line of the United States Navy.
Passing through the choppy waters of Puget Sound, Washington, lined with trees, many could not help but to notice the sad state that this once iconic aircraft carrier has found itself in. The ship had visible lines of rust. It looked less like a ship of the line and more like a bucket of bolts.
Unfortunately, the Nimitz’s sad appearance is not the result of coming off a rough deployment. Instead, the carrier was leaving—for a deployment to what many assume will be the Indo-Pacific. So, even during its months sitting in port, the Navy couldn’t be troubled to cover up the visible decline of this once-mighty ship?
The Navy’s frugality might be forgivable in the case of the Nimitz. Its trip to the Indo-Pacific, after all, is likely to be its last, and it makes little sense to conduct non-essential cosmetic repairs on a ship shortly destined for the scrap-heap. But it isn’t only the soon-to-be-decommissioned Nimitz that is a rust-covered bucket of bolts. There are significant issues with the entire fleet of US Navy aircraft carriers—even the newest, expensive Ford-class carriers that are slated to replace the aging Nimitz class.
Aircraft Carriers Are Overrated, Anyway
Take, for example, the USS Harry S. Truman. After recently colliding with a civilian tanker off the coast of Egypt on its way to attempt to deter the Houthi attacks on international commerce off the coast of Yemen, the great ship now sits just out of range of increasingly accurate Iranian-provided Houthi anti-ship ballistic (ASB) missiles.
The Trump administration says that the Houthis are being taken care of. So did the Biden administration before it. But if this were really the case, then why is the carrier constantly hiding from Houthi missiles? Surely a group that hides out in caves in the Yemeni desert and possesses no significant military training—or wealth to fund sophisticated military operations—is no threat to a mighty American aircraft carrier.
Don’t forget, though, that the Houthis have been embarrassing the Americans for years. Many blamed former President Joe Biden’s indecisive policies. The real problem, though, is the aircraft carrier itself—and its glaring vulnerabilities to certain forms of ASB missile attacks.
Remember that last year another Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, the flight deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower was nearly struck by one of those Houthi missiles. Similar—albeit unconfirmed—reports indicate that the Houthis nearly nailed the Harry S. Truman, which might explain why that carrier keeps just out of missile range. Even if the claims that the Truman was almost struck recently are untrue, the fact remains the American carrier force is both in decline and woefully vulnerable to modern anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) style defenses.
Thank goodness that the defenses of the carriers have staved off catastrophe—so far. In the case of the Eisenhower last year, a weak adversary coming within 600 feet of a ship’s important flight deck is too close. What happens when the U.S. Navy encounters a real enemy with significantly better A2/AD systems, such as the Chinese?
Ancient Aircraft Carriers Won’t Save Us from China
As the USS Nimitz limps toward the Indo-Pacific—its rust streaks a painful symbol of American decline—and with the Trump administration deploying another aircraft carrier to contend with the Houthi threat in Yemen, what is the Pentagon really doing about deterring a Chinese run on Taiwan?
If their form of “deterrence” is deploying America’s oldest carrier to the Indo-Pacific, when China possesses what may be the world’s largest, most advanced, forward-deployed A2/AD network, then the United States might be in for a very rude awakening. To be clear, the United States Navy will be operating a single, aging carrier in the Indo-Pacific going into April, one of only two months where it is believed a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is most likely to occur.
Not only is the United States overly reliant on aircraft carriers, but it is spreading itself too thin. There are windows of opportunity that may never again open. For China, this April may be one such window of opportunity. That their only American opposition will be one rusted-out carrier on the brink of decommissioning is an added inducement for them to go for broke.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a contributor at Popular Mechanics, who consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
