Initially, President Gerald Ford cancelled the order for CVN-71 in 1976 and substituted two CVV-type medium-sized, conventional-powered carriers that were expected to operate V/STOL aircraft.

[8] After sea trials and pre-deployment workups, Theodore Roosevelt started her maiden deployment on 30 December 1988 with Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) embarked.

[citation needed] On 28 December 1990, Theodore Roosevelt and CVW-8 deployed for Operation Desert Shield, arriving in the Persian Gulf on 16 January 1991.

[citation needed] From November 1993 to April 1994, Theodore Roosevelt conducted a Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY), completing ahead of schedule.

Deny Flight evolved into Operation Deliberate Force, as CVW-8 aircraft led NATO strikes against strategic Bosnian Serb targets in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group returned to Norfolk, Virginia in September 1995 and was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for its Bosnia operations.

[9] On 14 October 1996, Theodore Roosevelt collided with USS Leyte Gulf, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, while conducting operations off the coast of North Carolina.

On 8 July 1997, Theodore Roosevelt entered the Newport News Shipbuilding yard for a one-year Extended Drydock and Selected Restricted Availability (EDSRA), her first major overhaul since commissioning.

[citation needed] On 10 January 2000, Theodore Roosevelt entered a Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Virginia for a six-month maintenance period.

[13] Between departing Norfolk on 19 September 2001 and arriving in Bahrain for a liberty call on 27 February 2002, Theodore Roosevelt spent 160 consecutive days at sea, breaking the record for the longest period underway since World War II.

[15] From April to October 2002, Theodore Roosevelt conducted a Planned Incremental Availability maintenance period at Norfolk Naval Ship Yard.

[citation needed] Theodore Roosevelt got underway on 6 January for a scheduled month-long training period in the Puerto Rican Operating Area.

On 22 March 2003 Theodore Roosevelt, along with USS Harry S. Truman, began launching air strikes into Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

[citation needed] On 7 March 2007, Theodore Roosevelt began a nine-month Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) in Norfolk, which saw the addition of RAM-116 missiles among other upgrades.

[citation needed] CVW-8 and Theodore Roosevelt participated in Joint Task Force Exercise 08-4 Operation Brimstone off the coast of North Carolina between 21 and 31 July 2008.

The British aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, the amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima with associated units and the Brazilian frigate Greenhalgh and the French submarine Améthyste also participated in the event.

[29] On 26 August 2009 defense contractor Northrop Grumman was awarded a 2.4 billion dollar contract for Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) of Theodore Roosevelt at its Newport News shipyard.

[30] On 29 August 2013, Theodore Roosevelt returned to Norfolk Naval Station, Virginia, completing its post-overhaul sea trials that concluded its four-year mid-life RCOH.

During this phase, the X-47B's digitized carrier-controlled environment was tested which involved the interface between the unmanned aircraft and carrier personnel during launching, flight operations and recovery.

[37][38] On 20 April 2015, Theodore Roosevelt, along with the cruiser USS Normandy, was deployed off the coast of Yemen to intercept suspected Iranian weapons shipments intended for Houthi rebels, who are engaged in a civil war with Yemeni government forces.

The carrier launched 1,800 sorties against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, totaling 10,618 flight hours and over one million pounds of ordnance employed through 1,085 guided munitions.

[44] On 5 March 2020, Theodore Roosevelt, along with the cruiser USS Bunker Hill, arrived at Da Nang, Vietnam, for a five-day port visit commemorating the 25th anniversary of United States–Vietnam relations.

[45] In July 2021 she was moved from San Diego, her usual homeport, to Bremerton, Washington, where she will be retrofitted to accommodate the F-35 multirole combat aircraft.

[46] Theodore Roosevelt left Bremerton for sea trials in March 2023 and will eventually return to her previous homeport of San Diego.

[54] On 24 March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, three sailors aboard the deployed vessel tested positive for COVID-19, a coronavirus disease identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness.

[61] The US Navy ordered the aircraft carrier evacuated with a skeleton crew of 400 to remain aboard the vessel to maintain the nuclear reactor, the fire-fighting equipment, and the ship's galley.

[73] The Navy temporarily suspended post-quarantine testing and extended the sailors' isolation, delaying plans to begin moves of the crew back to the carrier.

[80] On 19 June 2020 the widely expected reinstatement of Captain Crozier was canceled and the promotion of the Theodore Roosevelt strike group commander was put on hold.

[82] Theodore Roosevelt was returning to home port when another chief petty officer suffered a medical emergency, of which the nature was not disclosed, and died 2 July 2020.

[71] In a 10 November 2020 scientific brief, the CDC highlighted this case among several others to detail the community benefit of masking, as the use of face coverings on-board was demonstrated to be associated with a 70% reduced risk of infection.