TOKYO -- The U.S. Navy announced on Friday that the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington will return to Yokosuka, Japan, next year. It will replace the USS Ronald Reagan as the Navy's sole forward-deployed carrier, tasked with projecting American naval power in the Indo-Pacific.
This will be the George Washington's second time serving as the Yokosuka-based carrier, having come in 2008 as the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier forward-deployed to Japan. After a seven-year stint, it was relieved by the Ronald Reagan in 2015.
