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Carrier USS Reagan to be Based in Japan, Replaced by USS Roosevelt
The Navy said the security environment in the Pacific requires the most capable ships to be forward deployed.
The Coronado-based aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan will replace the USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan, and become part of the U.S. 7th Fleet forward-deployed naval forces in the Pacific, the Navy announced Thursday.
As part of a rebalancing strategy to increase the Navy's presence in the Pacific, the USS Theodore Roosevelt will move from Norfolk to Coronado.
The George Washington will leave Japan and proceed to Virginia in preparation for its mid-life nuclear refueling and overhaul at Newport News Shipbuilding.
Specific timelines will be announced separately, closer to the actual movement of the carriers, the Navy said.
The Navy said the security environment in the Pacific requires the most capable ships to be forward deployed.
In 2008, the George Washington became the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be forward deployed in Japan.
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