Summary and Key Points: National security journalist Stephen Silver reports that the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) and Carrier Strike Group 10 have successfully completed their Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) as of March 5, 2026.
-Under the command of Rear Adm. Alexis Walker, the strike group is now certified for major combat operations, likely joining the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East to attack Iran.
A U.S. Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 9 transfers ammunition between aircraft carriers USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), foreground, and USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in the Atlantic Ocean Feb. 17, 2011. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Leonard Adams/Released)
-As the final Nimitz-class carrier, the Bush brings significant historical weight to Operation Epic Fury, following its 2017 record-breaking ordnance delivery during Operation Inherent Resolve.
USS George H.W. Bush Ready: Nimitz-Class Carrier Completes COMPTUEX for Middle East Deployment
According to Naval Technology, citing the Navy’s announcement, the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG) has “completed its Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX), amid reports that the group may soon deploy to the Middle East.”
That exercise was completed on March 5, and per the report, it “involved sailors, ships, squadrons and command staff, assessing their abilities in air, surface, subsurface and cyber warfare through a series of complex scenarios over several weeks.”
The Navy detailed what went on during that exercise.
“Over the course of 28 days, Carrier Air Wing 7 flew 1,586 sorties, tallying up a robust 693 arrested landings during the day and 682 at night,” the Navy announced.
“COMPTUEX is the certification event for the strike group to let us know we are ready for major combat operations around the world,” Carrier Strike Group 10 commander Rear Adm. Alexis Walker said, per Naval Technology. “It brings the entire strike group team together and enables us to operate as we would when we’re forward deployed.”
“Almost every deployment we operate with our Nato allies. Interoperability is a constant wherever we go,” CVW-7 commander Captain Martin Fentress Jr. said in that article.
“Carrier Airwing 7 stands ready today to deploy if called upon. We have demonstrated through each of the training evolutions that not only are we trained mentally to overcome any issue, but that we also have the stamina physically, and that our machines are ready,” Fentress added.
(Oct. 5, 2025) An MH-60S Sea Hawk attached to the “Dusty Dogs” of the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7 fires flares above the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) in support of the Titans at Sea Presidential Review. The Titans of the Sea Presidential Review is one of many events taking place throughout the country to showcase maritime capabilities as part of the U.S Navy’s 250th birthday. America is a maritime nation. For 250 years, America’s Warfighting Navy has sailed the globe in defense of freedom. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mitchell Mason)
MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Feb. 21, 2017) The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) transits the Mediterranean Sea in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. The George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Daniel Gaither/Released)
ATLANTIC OCEAN (Nov. 6, 2025) Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 3rd Class Diondre Jean signals the launch of an F/A-18F Super Hornet attached to the “Gladiators” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). George H.W. Bush is underway conducting carrier qualifications and routine operations in the Atlantic Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Juan SerratosGuzman)
Forbes reported earlier that additional carriers could be deployed soon to the Middle East, amid the continuing military operation in Iran, although there’s been no official confirmation that the USS George H.W. Bush is actually headed to the Middle East, where it would join the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Gerald R. Ford, the latter of which arrived ahead of the start of the first Iran strikes.
A History of a Carrier
The carrier group, of course, is named after George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States.
Per USCarriers.net, the George H.W. Bush is “the 10th and last of the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.”
The ship was ordered in 2001, with the keel laid in 2003, and christened in 2006, while its namesake, the former president, was still alive, and his son was the sitting president. It was delivered to the Navy in 2009.
“President Bush also attended the ship’s commissioning ceremony on board Naval Station Norfolk on January 10, 2009,” a Navy website article says. “At the ceremony, his son, then-President George W. Bush, delivered the keynote address, and his daughter, the ship’s sponsor, Dorothy ‘Doro’ Bush Koch, gave the order to ‘man our ship and bring her to life!’
More than 15,000 people attended the event, including military, government, and industry leaders. Among the crowd were former USS San Jacinto (CVL 30) Sailors who served aboard the ship in World War II – the same ship President Bush flew from during the war.”
(Dec. 7, 2024) LT Steven Holcomb, attached to the Gunslingers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105, operates a F/A-18E Super Hornet on the flight deck during flight operations, Dec. 7, 2024. USS George H.W. Bush is in the basic phase of the Optimized Fleet Response Plan conducting flight deck certification.(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jayden Brown)
Nimitz-class carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) transits the Atlantic Ocean while offloading munitions via helicopter to the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), June 27, 2025. Gerald R. Ford, a first-in- class nuclear aircraft carrier and deployed flagship of Carrier Strike Group Twelve, incorporates modern technology, innovative shipbuilding designs, and best practices from legacy aircraft carriers to increase the U.S. Navy’s capacity to underpin American security and economic prosperity, deter adversaries, and project power on a global scale through sustained operations at sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jarrod Bury)
(Aug. 8, 2017) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) at sea during exercise Saxon Warrior 2017, Aug. 8. Saxon Warrior is a United States and United Kingdom co-hosted carrier strike group exercise that demonstrates allied interoperability and capability to respond to crises and deter potential threats. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Theron J. Godbold /Released)
A History of Deployments
The ship’s maiden deployment took place in 2011, under the command of then-Rear Adm. Nora W. Tyson, the first woman to lead a carrier strike group in the Navy’s history.
“During the ship’s first combat deployment, the ship participated in Exercise
Saxon Warrior visited England, Spain, Italy, Bahrain, and France and supported Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn,” the Navy website said. The carrier group returned to Norfolk that December.
The carrier was deployed again in 2013, when it made history again.
“In May 2013, the GHWB became the first aircraft carrier to launch an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) at sea when an X-47B launched from her flight deck,” the Navy website article said. “In February 2014, the ship departed for her second combat deployment. During the nine-month deployment, the ship participated in strikes against targets in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. The ship earned the Battle “E” that year, and the Secretary of the Navy approved the Navy Unit Commendation for the GHWB Carrier Strike Group.”
The USS George H.W. Bush’s third combat deployment began in early 2017.
“During the seven-month deployment, the ship participated in strikes in Syria and Iraq in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE,” the Navy website article said. “The ship was the first aircraft carrier to support Operation INHERENT RESOLVE a second time, and expended 907 tons of ordnance, the most expended by a CVN/CVW team since Desert Storm. The ship went on to win the Battle ‘E,’ Admiral Flatley Memorial Safety Award, and Fleet Retention Excellence Award.”
In 2019, the ship returned to Norfolk to begin a 28-month Docking Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) period.
The next deployment came in 2022 and 2023, when the USS George H.W. Bush was deployed to U.S. 6th Fleet for nearly eight months.
Per Navy Times, “The Bush, which replaced the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman in August, supported allies and partners to reinforce commitment to NATO while underway, the Navy said. In October, the carrier hosted NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg while under NATO command as part of exercise Neptune Strike, which involved 31 ships and 135 aircraft from 21 different countries.”
“This carrier sends a powerful message of Allied deterrence every day,” Stoltenberg, then the NATO secretary general, said at the time, which was a very different era than the present when it came to U.S./NATO cooperation. “A perfect example of the transatlantic bond—Europe and North America working together in NATO.”
“The trust our strike group built with our Allies and partners is our competitive advantage as an Alliance,” Rear Adm. Dennis Velez, commander of the Bush Carrier Strike Group, said through the Navy in June of 2023. “Our teamwork increased our collective capability and deterred our adversaries, which I believe helped prevent expansion of war into NATO territory.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
