The United States Army announced on Wednesday that its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its strike group have been deployed in the Caribbean. The announcement coincides with a tightening of the pressure campaign by the Donald Trump administration on Cuba and the indictment on Wednesday of former Cuban president Raúl Castro in the United States for the downing of two Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996.
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“Welcome to the Caribbean, USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group!” wrote the U.S. Southern Command on its X account, responsible for operations in Latin America except Mexico. “The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, the Carrier Air Wing, the USS Gridley, and the USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201) represent the highest expression of readiness and presence, with unmatched reach and lethality, and strategic advantage,” the text adds.
The announcement comes alongside the hardening of Washington’s messages to Havana — with whose representatives the White House has been negotiating for months following the oil blockade imposed by the U.S. — and the formal accusation filed by the Department of Justice against former Cuban president Raúl Castro for the death of four aviators in 1996.
At the end of last year, Washington already sent another aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, to the Caribbean, where it ended up supporting the operation to capture former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro last January before heading to the Middle East, where it participated in the current campaign against Iran.
Meanwhile, in mid-2025 the Nimitz supported the Midnight Hammer operation for four months, through which the U.S. and Israel bombed key facilities of the Iranian nuclear program. It also later participated in attack operations against positions of the self-proclaimed Islamic State around Somali waters.
After returning to port in December on the U.S. west coast, the ship set off south with the original goal of crossing the Strait of Magellan to then reach its home port in Norfolk, on the U.S. east coast.
On the way, the Nimitz and its strike group conducted exercises with the Naval Forces of Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Brazil.
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