I'd guess the latter. My husband's former command, the USS Rickover (SSN 709), is being decommissioned this March after *thinks, does the math* 23 years. Hell look at the USS Kitty Hawk, commissioned in '61 and according to Wikipedia not due to decom till 2009? Wow.
Very appropriate. A fine honor for a good guy.
Wiki also states that the USS JFK will be decommissioned this September. The USS Kitty Hawk will be decommissioned at the same time the USS George H. W. Bush is activated in 2008. If I'm reading this right, since nothing new is replacing the USS JFK, we're dropping a carrier group?