“The 30th iteration of RIMPAC is the largest ever and will feature 30 partner nations, 31 surface ships, five submarines, 15 national land forces, more than 200 aircraft, and 30,000 personnel in and around the Hawaiian Islands.”
Valiant Shield: USS George Washington and a multilateral sinking exercise
USS George Washington’s embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 conducted a live-fire sinking exercise (SINKEX) during exercise Valiant Shield in the Western Pacific over the weekend. Aircraft involved included F/A-18 Super Hornets, F-35C Lightning IIs, and an E-2D Hawkeye. The target was the ex-USS Juneau, an Austin-class amphibious transport dock previously active in the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm; she was sent to the bottom roughly 40 nautical miles northeast of Guam.
Task Force 70 Public Affairs described the evolution as one that “brought together air, surface, and subsurface assets in coordinated strikes, allowing crews to sharpen critical skills in weapons employment and target engagement under realistic conditions that no simulator can fully replicate.” A torpedo fired by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force diesel-electric submarine JS Jingei delivered the final blow.
RIMPAC 2026: USS Theodore Roosevelt arrives at Pearl Harbor
USS Theodore Roosevelt arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on June 23 ahead of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2026. The report notes this is the 30th iteration of RIMPAC and the largest ever, with the force composition detailed above. Roosevelt’s flight deck was described as “packed,” and the carrier hosted service members from partner nations and the local community during an open ship tour over the weekend.
FLEETEX 250: USS Nimitz and the Atlantic PHOTOEX
USS Nimitz joined 25 other ships for a fleet formation photo exercise (PHOTOEX) in the Atlantic on June 25 as part of the inaugural Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) 250. The two-week FLEETEX involved warships, aircraft, and personnel from the U.S. and 13 allied countries and wrapped up on June 29. Nimitz subsequently pulled into Mayport, Florida, to disembark family and friends who were aboard for a Tiger Cruise, and several participating ships planned to sail to New York City for the International Naval Review 250 from July 3–8.
Photos from the deployment also showed Boeing’s MQ-25A Stingray demonstrator drone (referred to as T-1) embarked on Nimitz’s flight deck. The report additionally records that the C-2A Greyhound made its last trap aboard the flattop, which the piece characterizes as marking the end of an era as the CMV-22B Osprey takes over the carrier onboard delivery mission.
Training and carrier qualifications: Dwight D. Eisenhower and Carl Vinson
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower continued working up off the U.S. East Coast and was most recently underway in the Jacksonville Operating Area with her AIS transponder turned on. According to DVIDS, Eisenhower is conducting carrier qualifications and supporting East Coast Fleet Replacement Squadrons. On the West Coast, USS Carl Vinson got underway for training on June 25.
U.S. carriers in the Middle East: Abraham Lincoln and George H.W. Bush
Two aircraft carriers remained on station in the U.S. Central Command — 5th Fleet area of responsibility: USS Abraham Lincoln and USS George H.W. Bush. Both carriers were observed conducting flight operations over the past week in that theater. The report notes that, with a blockade lifted while negotiations are ongoing — and “both sides still exchanging weekend tit-for-tat blows” — neither carrier appeared to be leaving the AOR for the time being.
What this means for partner navies, local communities, and training squadrons
- Partner navies: The SINKEX off Guam and the multinational FLEETEX 250 reinforce joint operations and weapons employment training — evidenced by coordinated air, surface, and subsurface strikes and the participation of allied platforms such as JS Jingei.
- Local communities: USS Theodore Roosevelt’s open ship tour in Pearl Harbor and Nimitz’s Tiger Cruise disembarkation in Mayport show ongoing community engagement tied to major fleet events and public-facing portions of large exercises.
- Training squadrons and replacement units: USS Dwight D. Eisenhower’s carrier qualifications and support for East Coast Fleet Replacement Squadrons signal continued emphasis on aviator training and platform transition cycles, underscored by the C-2A’s last trap and the CMV-22B assuming carrier onboard delivery responsibilities.
Across multiple ocean basins this week, the U.S. fleet combined hard training — a live-fire SINKEX, carrier qualifications, large-scale multinational PHOTOEX — with public-facing events such as open ship tours and Tiger Cruises. The record supplied here shows a concentrated tempo of operations across Valiant Shield, RIMPAC, FLEETEX 250 and ongoing presence in the CENTCOM AOR as of June 29, 2026. For additional detail and the original tracker, see the source report from TWZ.
https://www.twz.com/sea/where-are-the-aircraft-carriers-june-29-2026
