By Joseph Meyers
Guam will have a busy week with 5,000 sailors aboard the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) who will be on liberty for "rest and relaxation" during the carrier’s port call on island.
The U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed Nimitz-class carrier arrived on Guam Wednesday morning, joined in the port visit by the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Robert Smalls (CG 62).
USS Reagan will be on Guam for an undisclosed number of days, bringing economic activity to the island.
This is USS Ronald Reagan’s first visit to Guam since 2022 and will be its last call before it returns to the U.S. mainland to undergo scheduled heavy maintenance later this year. It will replaced by USS George Washington.
USS Ronald Reagan joined with surface vessels and aircraft from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s joint forces and Japan Self-Defense Forces during the multinational exercise Valiant Shield on June 7.
The carrier's crew includes 10 Guamanian sailors onboard. They were among the first to descend from the ship and were greeted by family members awaiting on the port's grounds.
About 70 sailors will participate in public relations events during the port call.
The sailors will visit a senior center, the stations of the cross, and a school where they will “mentor, interact and engage with elementary school children,” according to the ship’s commanding officer, Capt. Daryle Cardone.
Cardone and Rear Adm. Gregory D. Newkirk emphasized the Navy’s relationship with the local community and over 80 years of bringing economic benefits to the island.
Cardone thanked Guam for its hospitality.
“The best part,” Newkirk said, “is seeing the sailors see the things that they dream about. I believe that a lot of things that bring the sailors to volunteer to serve their country is to go out and see the world and be part of something bigger than they are."
Commissioned in 2001, the nuclear-powered supercarrier is the ninth ship of her class.
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