
This post has been updated with additional details from the Navy.
President Joe Biden said that the next two Ford-class aircraft carriers will be named after former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, according to a Monday White House statement.
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro picked the names for the two carriers, as naming falls under the duties of the secretary of the Navy, according to two Navy officials However, the White House made the announcement.
“When I personally delivered the news to Bill and George, they were deeply humbled. Each knows firsthand the weight of the responsibilities that come with being Commander-in-Chief,” Biden said in the White House announcement. “And both know well our duty to support the families and loved ones who wait and worry for the safe return of their servicemember.”
The future USS William J. Clinton (CVN-82) and USS George W. Bush (CVN-83) are not yet under construction nor have contracts been issued to carrier yard HII’s Newport News.
HII has advocated for the Navy to utilize a block buy contracting strategy to purchase the carriers, like the service did for the future USS Enterprise (CVN-80) and USS Doris Miller (CVN-81). In a briefing with reporters last week, HII president Chris Kastner said the shipbuilder would like to see CVN-82 purchased in Fiscal Year 2028.
“The future USS William J. Clinton and the future USS George W. Bush will serve as lasting tributes to each leader’s legacy in service of the United States,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a news release. “Like their namesakes, these two future carriers, and the crews who sail them, will work to safeguard our national security, remind us of our history, and inspire others to serve our great republic.”
In a statement following an earlier version of this story, the Navy said the Clinton ship naming occurred at a private White House ceremony on Jan. 3, and that Chelsea Clinton would be the carrier’s sponsor. The Navy did not announce a sponsor for the future George W. Bush.
During a private ceremony at the White House on Jan. 3, 2025, along with the ship’s name, Secretary Del Toro announced the sponsor for the future USS William J. Clinton (CVN 82) will be Ms. Chelsea Clinton, daughter of President Clinton.
The naming of the two aircraft carriers comes on the heels of Del Toro’s announcement naming the third Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine. The vessel will be named for the home of submarine builder General Dynamics Electric Boat, the Navy announced on Monday.

The future USS Groton (SSBN-828) “honors the port town in Connecticut and three previous vessels so named: a frigate, a patrol craft and a nuclear fast attack submarine,” reads a statement from the service. Del Toro announced the name during a video call with the submarine community.
“Our ballistic-missile submarines form a critical pillar of the nation’s nuclear triad, playing an indispensable role in deterring conflict while upholding strategic stability,” Del Toro said in a statement.
Groton will follow Wisconsin (SSBN-827) and first-in-class District of Columbia (SSBN-826), which will replace the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines as the U.S. sea-based strategic nuclear deterrent starting in the 2030s. The Columbia boomers are built in a teaming arrangement between Electric Boat and HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia.
“Groton is the birthplace of the modern nuclear-powered Navy under Adm. Hyman G. Rickover and home to our nation’s oldest submarine base as well as the Electric Boat shipyard,” reads a statement from Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), who represents Groton in Congress.
“The naming of the third Columbia-class submarine as the future USS Groton is a well-deserved badge of honor that rightly acknowledges our community’s historic role in the United States submarine force.”
The class is suffering delays in construction, with District of Columbia set to deliver anywhere from 12 to 16 months later than planned due to delays in key components
The carrier announcement follows a series of ship namings from Del Toro in the last several days that include guided-missile destroyers Intrepid (DDG-145) and Robert Kerrey (DDG-146), amphibious warship Travis Manion (LPD-33), two ocean survey ships Don Walsh (T-AGOS-25) and Victor Vescovo (T-AGOS-26) and the Bethesda-class expeditionary medical ship Portsmouth (EMS-3).