--- title: "New Aircraft Carrier To Be Named After Bill Clinton" description: "In his last week in office, President Joe Biden on Monday named the Navy's next unnamed future [*Ford*-class aircraft carrier]() President William J. Clinton. The super carrier that will follow it will be named after George W. Bush. However, it…" date: "2025-01-13" modified: "2025-01-13" authors: - name: "Howard Altman" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/howard-altman" url: "https://www.twz.com/sea/new-aircraft-carrier-to-be-named-after-bill-clinton" categories: - "Americas" - "Around The Globe" - "Carriers" - "Ford Class" - "Navies" - "News & Features" - "Nimitz Class" - "POTUS" - "Sea" - "U.S. Homeland" - "U.S. Navy" - "USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77)" --- # New Aircraft Carrier To Be Named After Bill Clinton ![Norfolk Naval Station, Norfolk, Virginia (April 1, 1999 -- President Clinton addresses U.S. and NATO military personnel, families, and civilian Department of Defense employees to express America's thanks to personnel deployed overseas in support of U.S. and NATO operations, as well as underscore the importance of NATO Operation Allied Force in Kosovo. (U.S. Navy photo by PH1(SW) Benjamin D. Olvey)]() *President Clinton addresses U.S. and NATO military personnel, families, and civilian Department of Defense employees at Norfolk Naval Station, Va., on April 1, 1999. The President expressed America's thanks to personnel deployed overseas in support of U.S. and NATO operations, as well as underscore the importance of NATO Operation Allied Force in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. Joining Clinton on the dais are from left to right are: Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig, Sen. Charles Robb R-Va., Adm. Harold W. Gehman Jr. and Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen. PH1(SW) Benjamin D. Olvey* In his last week in office, President Joe Biden on Monday named the Navy's next unnamed future [*Ford*-class aircraft carrier]() President William J. Clinton. The super carrier that will follow it will be named after George W. Bush. However, it will be years, even under the current plans, before either ship is delivered to the Navy. If all goes according to the Biden administration’s wishes, the USS *William J. Clinton* (CVN-82) and USS *George W. Bush* (CVN-83) will join the USS *Gerald R. Ford* and future USS *John F. Kennedy* (CVN-79), the USS *Enterprise* (CVN-80), and USS *Doris Miller* (CVN-81) as part of the Navy’s newest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier class. There are 11 aircraft carriers in the current fleet, 10 of them are earlier *Nimitz* class ships. ![USS Gerald R Ford deployment]() *The USS *Gerald R. Ford* is the lead ship in the Navy's newest class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Anderson W. Branch)* “The future USS *William J. Clinton* honors President William J. Clinton, 42nd President of the United States of America, serving two terms from 1993 to 2001,” Navy Secretary [Carlos Del Toro said in a statement](). “The future USS *George W. Bush* honors President George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States of America, serving two terms from 2001 to 2009. This will be the first Navy vessel named for either president. The names follow the Navy tradition of often naming aircraft carriers after U.S. presidents.” Bush served in the [Texas Air National Guard]() from 1968 to 1973 and flew [F-102 Delta Dagger fighters](), while Clinton was never in the military. ![President Clinton visits the USS Independence aircraft carrier with the First Lady while it is anchored in Yokosuka. (Photo by © Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)]() *Then-President William J. Clinton visited the USS *Independence a*ircraft carrier with the first lady while anchored in Yokosuka. (Photo by © Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images) Wally McNamee* “I am honored that my name will be associated with the United States Navy and a symbol of our Nation's might,” Bush was quoted as stating in the Del Toro release. “I have a special admiration for the men and women of our Navy - including my dad - and ask God to watch over this ship and those who sail aboard her.” This is the second aircraft carrier to bear the Bush family name. The last *Nimitz*-class carrier, the [USS *George H.W. Bush*]() (CVN-77), is named for his father. This means that two carriers with the namesake *Bush* will be in the fleet operating at the same time. ![120610-N-PI709-124 ATLANTIC OCEAN (June 10, 2012) Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush tour the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). The Navy's newest aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush hosted the ship's namesake and former President George H. W. Bush, along with his family and friends including former President George W. Bush, for a promotion and reenlistment ceremony during a scheduled underway-training evolution. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Samantha Thorpe/Released)]() *ATLANTIC OCEAN (June 10, 2012) Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush tour the aircraft carrier USS *George H.W. Bush* (CVN-77). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Samantha Thorpe/Released)* ![]() *The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS *George H.W. Bush* (CVN 77) transits the Mediterranean Sea, Jan. 24, 2023.(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicholas Avis) USS *George H.W. Bush* transits the Mediterranean Sea, Jan. 24, 2023 during Juniper Oak 23.2. *Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Nicholas Avis** It’s one thing to name a ship, but quite another to procure it, begin construction, finish, and deliver it. The *Ford*-class program is already facing serious delays, according to a [July 2024 Congressional Research Service (CRS) report](). The Navy’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget submission “proposes deferring the procurement” of the *Clinton*, the fifth ship in the *Ford* class, "by two years,” from Fiscal Year 2028 to Fiscal Year 2030, “with advance procurement (AP) for the ship beginning in” Fiscal Year 2027, CRS noted. The future *Bush* is not even on the books yet for procurement. As an example of how long it takes to get a new aircraft carrier to the fleet, the *Ford*, the lead ship in the class was procured in Fiscal Year 2008, commissioned in July 2017, and didn’t make its first deployment until October 2022, more than a decade after the Navy procured it. It had massive teething issues, some of which were due to it being the first in its class. The USS J*ohn F. Kennedy*, meanwhile, was procured in Fiscal Year 2013 and scheduled for delivery this July, according to Navy documents. The third ship in the class, the USS *Enterprise*, was procured in Fiscal Year 2018, however, its scheduled delivery has been delayed until September 2029, or 18 months later than the March 2028 date shown in the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget, CRS explained. The *Doris Miller*, procured in Fiscal Year 2019, is not scheduled for delivery to the Navy until February 2032. ![]() *Adm. Chester W. Nimitz pins the Navy Cross (medal for heroism in combat) onto Doris "Dorie" Miller, USS *Enterpris*e (CV-6), Pearl Harbor, May 27, 1942. He was killed in action in 1943. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images) Archive Photos* Naming ships after the living is not unheard of, but it deprives new administrations, Navy secretaries, and Congresses of the chance to honor people or ideas of their choosing. It's possible that plans could change. https://twitter.com/BDHerzinger/status/1878941990446158195 It's happened before. In 2020, then Navy Secretary William Modly wanted a new class of frigates named *Agility*, [according to *USNI News*](). It was eventually changed to *[Constellation ]()*class. But considering the now relatively established practice of naming carriers after U.S. presidents, the next in line are the ones announced today, so changing those names may be harder than swapping out the class name of frigate. *Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com* ## Author Howard is a Senior Staff Writer for *TWZ*. He writes frequently about conflict, focusing heavily on the Middle East and Ukraine, and interviews with military and intelligence officials and industry leaders from around the globe. He lives near Tampa, Florida, home of U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [LinkedIn]()