The United States Navy faces pressure meeting global military demands despite operating 11 aircraft carriers, compared with China’s three, retired US Navy Vice Admiral John Miller said in an interview with Al Jazeera. Miller said that only a small number of carriers are operational or ready for deployment at any particular time, limiting the apparent advantage of the larger US fleet.

He identified routine maintenance, repairs and training as key reasons why carriers are unavailable. Nuclear-powered carriers also require extended refuelling and overhaul work, with at least one carrier undergoing the multiyear process at all times. Miller said fleet readiness can be understood by dividing the total number of carriers by three.

Using an example of nine available carriers, Miller said three would be deployed in combat zones, three would have recently returned from operations and three would be preparing for their next mission. He said this helps explain Washington’s decision to remove USS George Washington from the Asia-Pacific to join USS George H.W. Bush in the Middle East and replace USS Abraham Lincoln. Miller warned that deploying two carrier strike groups in the Middle East imposes security costs on other regions.