New Navy Aircraft Carriers Face Delays As Shipbuilding Woes Persist
Two aircraft carriers slated to shore up the U.S. Navy now face more construction delays, according to the Navy’s 2026 budget documents. The USS John F. Kennedy, which is set to replace the USS Nimitz upon its…
Two aircraft carriers slated to shore up the U.S. Navy now face more construction delays, according to the Navy’s 2026 budget documents.
The USS John F. Kennedy, which is set to replace the USS Nimitz upon its retirement in May 2026, had its delivery pushed back from July 2025 to March 2027 in order to fully certify its system for catching landing planes and complete its elevator, according to Navy fiscal year 2026 budget documents. Additionally, the USS Enterprise also had its delivery date pushed back from September 2029 to July 2030 due to “delays in material availability and industry/supply chain performance.”
The Kennedy was previously delayed in 2023 to the subsequently-postponed July 2025 delivery date in order to continue construction. Navy Secretary John Phelan has made it a key policy priority to restore America’s shipbuilding capacity after years of delays due to the U.S.’s hemorrhaging industrial capacity.
After the USS Nimitz retires, the Navy will drop to only 10 carriers in the fleet until the Kennedy sets sail. The U.S. Navy once fielded 99 carriers during the peak of World War II.
Shipbuilding has become a key weakness in U.S. policy on China, as Beijing eclipsed