Still evolving after 4 decades: Aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt at RIMPAC 2026

The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is moored at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, Monday. Courtesy of Kookbang Ilbo

HONOLULU — Standing beneath rows of fighter jets on the flight deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), Capt. William Mathis greeted visiting reporters with a smile before introducing the warship in a few simple words.

“This is a floating city.”

The Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier carries about 3,000 sailors assigned to the ship and another 2,000 with Carrier Air Wing 11.

“We go out to sea and we run four and a half acres (1.8 hectares) of sovereign U.S. territory,” Mathis said. “It’s a floating airport, and really it’s a floating city.”

Moored at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam during this year’s Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), the carrier’s flight deck was lined with F/A-18 Super Hornets, F-35C Lightning II fighters, EA-18G Growlers and E-2D Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft.

Sailors moved steadily between aircraft and maintenance equipment as the ship prepared to get underway.

Commissioned in 1986, Theodore Roosevelt marks its 40th anniversary this year. Yet Mathis said the ship’s age matters less than its ability to adapt.

“We always want to be an adaptive, flexible force,” he said. “We’re bringing a lot of new technologies aboard … and looking at how that’s going to operate in a combined fleet.”

The flight deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), moored at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu, Hawaii, is opened to reporters, Monday. Courtesy of Kookbang Ilbo

Among those technologies is an unmanned surface vessel, which will operate alongside the carrier strike group during RIMPAC. While declining to discuss operational details, Mathis said the exercise provides an opportunity to explore how emerging technologies can be integrated into multinational operations.

The carrier air wing reflects that modernization effort. Alongside four squadrons of F/A-18 strike fighters are EA-18G electronic attack aircraft, E-2D Hawkeye airborne command-and-control aircraft, MH-60 helicopters, F-35Cs and the CMV-22B Osprey, which has replaced the aging C-2 Greyhound as the Navy’s carrier onboard delivery aircraft.

Even while discussing new platforms, Mathis repeatedly returned to one theme.

“The prime focus for RIMPAC is to demonstrate and work on interoperability with our partner nations,” he said. “We plan together, we execute together and we debrief together.”

Asked about Korea assuming the role of Combined Force Maritime Component Commander during this year’s exercise, Mathis welcomed partner nations taking on greater leadership responsibilities.

“We’ve spent the last couple of days meeting our partner nations,” he said. “I’ve met almost every other commanding officer. We start building those relationships and that trust before we ever go to sea.”

“There may be a little bit of a language difference,” he added, “but we all want to accomplish the same mission.”

Capt. William Mathis, commanding officer of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), speaks to reporters aboard the aircraft carrier at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, Monday. Courtesy of Kookbang Ilbo

No change despite China’s missile test

Mathis also fielded questions about China’s submarine-launched ballistic missile test, conducted hours before RIMPAC participants were scheduled to begin sea operations.

China described the launch from a nuclear-powered submarine toward the Pacific Ocean as part of a routine military exercise, but the test drew regional attention as participating navies gathered in Hawaii for the world’s largest multinational maritime exercise.

Asked whether the launch would affect RIMPAC, Mathis dismissed the possibility.

“No changes planned on that,” he said. “We’re constantly monitoring events throughout the world and making sure that we have awareness of what’s going on around the world. There have been no specific changes to address that.”

Asked separately whether the U.S. Navy was preparing for a possible Taiwan contingency, Mathis reiterated the service’s standing posture.

“We are always preparing and making sure that we have the most ready force available for whatever may come.”

Fighter aircraft are parked on the flight deck of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), seen from the carrier's navigation bridge, at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, Monday. Courtesy of Kookbang Ilbo

Safety first on bridge

Another stop aboard the carrier offered a sharp contrast to the expansive flight deck.

The navigation bridge, surprisingly compact for a ship of this size, is where watch officers issue helm and engine orders while monitoring surrounding ships, aircraft and sea conditions.

“The most important part is always safety,” the officer guiding reporters through the bridge said.

“We’re always maintaining our lookouts, understanding who’s around us, what’s around us and how we can keep this crew safe.”

He added that someone is on the bridge around the clock, acting as the commanding officer’s representative whenever the captain is elsewhere on the ship.

As the tour came to an end, Mathis was asked what it was like to command a 40-year-old aircraft carrier.

“You know, we’ve got a lot of steel, a lot of technology,” he said. “But it’s all about our sailors.”

“The sailors you met 20 years ago, the sailors we have today — they’re all driven to be the best they can be.”