The Nimitz will be inactivated in 2027.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/uss-nimitz-wont-be-decommissioned-until-2027-ps-031626
Delaying the decommissioning of USS Nimitz to next year will allow the US Navy to retain 11 nuclear-powered supercarriers in the fleet, even if CVN-68 remains in Newport News and doesn’t deploy again for the remainder of its service life. In other words, the one-year delay may simply be a matter of satisfying US lawmakers by keeping 11 carriers on paper. Title 10 of the US Code, specifically 10 U.S.C. § 8062, mandates that the US Navy maintain at least 11 operational aircraft carriers in its fleet.
“The naval combat forces of the Navy shall include not less than 11 operational aircraft carriers. For purposes of this subsection, an operational aircraft carrier includes an aircraft carrier that is temporarily unavailable for worldwide deployment due to routine or scheduled maintenance or repair,” the code explains.
But “operational” is a loose term to say the least!
No Future Deployment for the Nimitz, but a Long Goodbye
As the US Navy’s supercarriers are too large to pass through the Panama Canal, the carrier’s homeport shift from Naval Base Kitsap to Naval Station Norfolk requires that the warship take the long way around South America, transiting from the Pacific to the Atlantic at Cape Horn. The homeport shift is also a goodbye tour for the US Navy’s second nuclear-powered flattop. CVN-68 made a port visit to San Diego, her former homeport, and departed on Saturday.
Thanks for the link. That is the best explanation I’ve seen yet...