Editing Nimitz-class aircraft carrier (section)

===Symbolic and diplomatic roles===
[[File:KD Lekiu(FFG30) and KD Jebat(FFG29) with USS George Washington (CVN 73).jpeg|thumb|''George Washington'' underway with the [[Royal Malaysian Navy]] {{sclass|Lekiu|frigate|2}}s KD ''Jebat'' and KD ''Lekiu'' during a transit of the [[Andaman Sea]]]]

Because of their status as the largest warships in the U.S. Navy, the deployment of an aircraft carrier can fulfill a symbolic role, not just as a deterrent to an enemy but often as a diplomatic tool in strengthening relations with allies and potential allies. The latter of these functions can occur either as a single visit to a country, in which senior naval officers are allowed to observe the operation of the carrier and interact with its senior officers,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=13709 |title=Reagan Sailors Visit Rio |date=June 2004 |publisher=U.S. Navy |access-date=9 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604180015/http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=13709 |archive-date=4 June 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> or as part of an international task force. This can be in combat operations, such as the [[NATO bombing of Yugoslavia]] in 1999,<ref>{{cite book |title=Conflict in the Balkans, 1991–2000 |last=Ripley |first=Tim |year=2001 |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |location=[[Oxford]], United Kingdom |isbn=978-1-84176-290-6 |page=92}}</ref> or training deployments, such as [[Exercise RIMPAC]]. In addition, carriers have participated in international [[Maritime security operations]], combating [[piracy]] in the Persian Gulf and off the coast of Somalia.<ref name="Navy.mil CVN"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=48373 |title=USS Nimitz Launches First Sorties, Support Coalition Troops in Afghanistan |date=21 September 2009 |publisher=U.S. Navy |access-date=30 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923163907/http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=48373 |archive-date=23 September 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>