US President Joe Biden has announced that the navy’s 5th and 6th Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers have been named after former presidents William J. Clinton and George W. Bush.
Biden’s statement at the White House highlighted that the selection of the vessels’ designation honors the namesakes’ firsthand knowledge of “the weight of the responsibilities” during their time as the country’s Commander-in-Chief.
“The future USS William J. Clinton (CVN 82) and the future USS George W. Bush (CVN 83) will begin construction in the years ahead,” Biden said. “When complete, they will join the most capable, flexible, and professional Navy that has ever put to sea.”
The milestone was confirmed by US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, who noted that the future ships will be the first hulls to bear the name of America’s 42nd and 43rd presidents.
“President Clinton and President Bush led the United States through some of the most challenging moments in US history,” Del Toro commented.
“Their legacies will endure through these aircraft carriers, which serve as formidable platforms dedicated to safeguarding our national security and strengthening our resolve to protect this Nation against any who would threaten our freedoms and way of life.”
Production of the CVN 82 and CVN 83 is estimated to run through the 2030s, with HII Newport News Shipbuilding as the development’s lead contractor.
In July 2025, the US Navy is scheduled to receive the second Ford-class carrier, the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79), from the Virginia-based company.
The US Navy Ford Aircraft Carrier
The Gerald R. Ford system was developed to replace the US Navy’s nuclear-powered carriers operational since the late 1950s, including the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and the Nimitz-class fleet.
Conceptualization of the Ford carrier program began in the early 2000s. The effort settled on acquiring 10 vessels in the following decades, with each ship to be integrated with advanced electrical power generation, overall design, and stability-supporting technologies compared to its predecessors.
A Ford carrier has an overall length of about 1,100 feet (335 meters), 25 decks, a space for more than 75 aircraft, and accommodation for over 4,500 personnel.
It sails with four propulsion shafts and a twin Becthel pressurized water reactor that uses enriched uranium for speeds up to 30 knots (35 miles/56 kilometers per hour).
The vessel is armed with automated close-in weapon systems, 25-millimeter shipboard gun systems, 12.7-millimeter machine guns, and surface-to-air missiles.