At the invitation of the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, a delegation from our government visited the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier of the Navy. For this reason, officials from the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), the Navy Secretariat, and the Secretariat of Foreign Relations (SRE) boarded the vessel in international waters, off the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
The U.S. Navy's USS Nimitz aircraft carrier is touring South America on its way to its new homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.
"These types of activities are usual within the framework of diplomatic relations between armed forces and was carried out with respect for national sovereignty and with the aim of fostering mutual trust between both countries," Sedena published on social media X.
What is the mission of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier?
The nuclear-powered USS Nimitz aircraft carrier will carry out military maneuvers with the navies of ten different countries this year as part of its deployment in the seas of North, Central, and South America.
The USS Nimitz and its strike group will conduct exercises with the Naval Forces of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Uruguay, according to the U.S. Southern Command.
The ships will navigate America as part of their Southern Seas 2026 deployment and will make stops in the ports of Brazil, Chile, Panama, and Jamaica.
Southern Seas 2026 marks the eleventh edition of these exercises in the region since 2007.
The USS Nimitz's strike group, which incorporates the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Gridley, is composed of Carrier Air Wing 17 and Destroyer Squadron 9.
These units include F-18 and EA-18G fighters (the F-18 version adapted for electronic warfare), multi-purpose MH-60 helicopters, and C-2 logistical support aircraft.
