The Navy is moving its aircraft carriers to ready them for a potential fight with China and Russia - here's where they're headed

US Navy

Sailors watch the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis sail alongside the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, May 5, 2015.

Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis outlined a change to the Navy's approach to aircraft carrier deployments, mixing up when carriers leave and return to port, shortening their time at sea, and adding flexibility to where they go and what they do.

The change is meant to lessen the strain on the fleet and its personnel while keeping potential rivals in the dark about carrier movements.

This "dynamic force employment" was underscored by the USS Harry S. Truman's return to Norfolk, Virginia, after a 90-day stint at sea that did not include the traditional trip to the Middle East to support US Central Command operations.

Amid that ongoing shift, the Navy is shuffling the homeport assignments for some of its carriers, as it works to keep the fleet's centerpieces fit for a potential great-power fight. These carrier refuelings are scheduled long in advance to ensure they're able to remain operational for half a century despite heavy operational demands. The carrier fleet is a crucial piece of US strategy, which in 2018 assessed strategic rivalry from China and Russia as the country's foremost threat.

Three of the Navy's 11 active carriers - Nimitz-class carriers USS Carl Vinson, USS Abraham Lincoln, and USS John C. Stennis - will get new homes.

The Navy declined to say when they'll make the move, but here's where they're headed: