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USS George H.W. Bush: Inside the Navy’s Newly Modernized Supercarrier

USS George HW Bush
170808-N-FP878-008 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 8, 2017) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) maneuvers between the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), left, and the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77), right, for a photo exercise during exercise Saxon Warrior 2017, Aug. 8. Saxon Warrior is a United States and United Kingdom co-hosted carrier strike group exercise that demonstrates allied interoperability and capability to respond to crises and deter potential threats. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Theron J. Godbold /Released)

What You Need to Know: The USS George H.W. Bush, the tenth and final Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, recently completed a 10-month modernization, enhancing its communication and combat systems.

-This 1,100-foot, 100,000-ton nuclear-powered warship can carry 90 aircraft and 6,000 sailors.

-Following a recent deployment supporting NATO allies against potential Russian aggression, the carrier exemplifies “Freedom at Work,” echoing President George H.W. Bush’s “Peace Through Strength” philosophy.

-Despite ongoing debate about the vulnerability of carriers to modern threats, the USS George H.W. Bush’s upgrades and continued deployments demonstrate the Navy’s commitment to these powerful symbols of American naval power.

Beyond $13 Billion: Are Supercarriers Like the USS George H.W. Bush Still Worth It?

President George H.W. Bush was an under-rated president who had an enormous impact on national security and foreign policy. He was in command during the highly successful first war in Iraq and he oversaw the end of the Cold War – adroitly ushering in a “New World Order” and creating a powerful unipolar moment for the U.S. military.

The ship that was named after him – the USS George H.W. Bush – is sometimes overlooked as well, but it is the last Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, and the tenth flat-top of the group. 

The ship’s motto is “Freedom at Work,” signifying Bush’s efforts to build on Ronald Reagan’s mantra of “Peace Through Strength.”

Modernization Effort Is Complete

The George H.W. Bush just completed an update period that lasted ten months at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia. 

The carrier re-joined the fleet near the end of last year. The Navy calls this modernization effort the Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) program, which is a way to make carriers more lethal. The PIA was on time and on-budget.

Personnel on the Bush who had prior experience with PIAs on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier also helped on the modernization project that allowed the George H.W. Bush to graduate from the period handily. Five hundred fifty people were working on the PIA.

“As part of the modernization and maintenance work for George H.W. Bush, crews installed combination ovens in the ship’s galley; modular refrigeration equipment to improve system reliability; and upgrades to the Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services system—a program the Navy has implemented across the Fleet to enhance shipboard computing systems and to consolidate multiple legacy networks,” the Navy wrote in a news release.

Now, situational awareness will be improved with the ability to swiftly communicate intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data collected by aircraft.

Shipyard Workers Got the Job Done Handily

Shipyards have been criticized for not having enough qualified workers and there have been difficulties with quality of life issues for sailors when carriers are undergoing long re-fueling and maintenance tasks.

But the PIA for George H.W. Bush happened without a hitch.

Maintenance Is Not Easy 

Maintenance periods that Bush successfully underwent have been delayed in the past for other carriers. 

So much so that the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a study and “found that from 2015 to 2019, 38 out of 51 — or 75 percent — of planned maintenance periods at the Navy’s four public shipyards were completed late for aircraft carriers,” according to a 2020 report released by GAO, Stars and Stripes noted.

What Is Special About the George H.W. Bush?

The aircraft carrier was first laid down in 2003 and joined active service in 2006. The ship even has its own post office. It displaces over 100,000 tons. 

The Bush is nearly 1,100 feet long.

The George H.W. Bush has 6,000 sailors on board and can launch and recover 90 aircraft.

The carrier can send out airplanes every 20 seconds. 

Three mk7 mod 3-type arrester cables recover the aircraft. 

The two Westinghouse nuclear reactors power four steam turbines that result in a top speed of over 30 knots.  

Helping Out NATO

The George H.W. Bush ended a key eight-month deployment in April of 2023. The carrier was serving in the European and North Atlantic areas of operations.

The mission was to support allies and keep Russia from attacking any NATO members.

The Bush was also instrumental in making sure Russian fighter jets did not encroach on any nation’s Air Defense Identification Zone.

F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets from Carrier Air Wing 7 were essential to this mission.

Can the Aircraft Carrier Endure? 

There are some questions about the future of aircraft carriers. 

Can they survive a hit from anti-ship missiles? 

Could adversaries send a flight of kamikaze drones at a carrier, and would the Phalanx close-in weapons system be able to eliminate all of these loitering munitions? 

The New Gerald R. Ford carrier is over $13 billion

This makes some critics wonder if the money could be better used by buying more attack submarines.

But the George H.W. Bush has a new lease on life after the latest modernization period and could be in service another 20 years. It will be a featured vessel on deployments and probably be sent to the European area of operations again. 

It will be an important deterrent, especially against the Russian navy or any encroachment on NATO members’ sovereignty. 

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.

Written By

Now serving as 1945s Defense and National Security Editor, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare. He is an Emerging Threats expert and former U.S. Army Infantry officer.

5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. Etienne

    January 18, 2025 at 12:23 am

    « He was in command during the highly successful first war in Iraq and he oversaw the end of the Cold War – adroitly ushering in a “New World Order” and creating a powerful unipolar moment for the U.S. military. » Could we fact check this ? The last time I checked, the Bush illegal Irak war cost US between 2-3 trillions, gave mostly zero benefit for the US and help the rise of Al-Quaeda in Irak leading to ISIS.

  2. T.K.

    January 18, 2025 at 10:35 am

    This command is a piece of crap. Saw over 15 suicides in the 5 years I was onboard, also saw one sailor cut in half on the flight deck on an underway we shouldn’t have even been on, and the COs response for all of them was like “oh well, keep working.” **** this ship.

  3. Etienne

    January 19, 2025 at 1:01 am

    Sorry, I got confused, I was talking about the second Irak war.

  4. Joe

    January 28, 2025 at 3:51 pm

    The Russian Navy??? My little GI Joe action figures riding little yellow rubber ducky in my bathtub could whup it’s ASS! Why even mention Russia as a Navy power?

  5. A US Sailor

    January 29, 2025 at 6:18 pm

    Ronald Reagan was the one who wanted peace through strength that’s why it’s the USS RONALD REAGAN’s MOTTO

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