April 12, 2024
Nuclear aircraft carrier USS George Washington
The U.S. Southern Command (SouthCom) has announced that the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) will deploy to its area of operations.
Over the next several months, this nuclear aircraft carrier will participate in “Operation South Seas 2024”, which will deploy maneuvers near Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay.
“This will be the 10th mission of the U.S. Navy in the region since 2007,” the Brazilian outlet AvioPrime reported, adding that the George Washington’s crew is made up of some 6,000 soldiers, 2,400 of whom are from the air wing.
“The last visit of the aircraft carrier to Brazil was in 2015 during Operation UNITAS, which involved joint training between Brazilian and U.S. armies,” it recalled.
In a tweet, former Bolivian president Evo Morales had words of warning to the U.S. military: “We remind head of U.S. SOUTHCOM, Laura Richardson, that Latin America is not your backyard nor your estate to exploit its natural resources. Faced with the new Yankee interventionist threat, we reiterate that the free peoples of the Patria Grande will defend their sovereignty.” pic.twitter.com/kyu7tb0itD
During its voyage through the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, the George Washington will be accompanied by the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, USS Porter (DDG 78), and Henry J. Kaiser-class replenishment oiler USNS John Lenthall (T-AO -189).
Among other military drills, these U.S. warships will carry out PASSEX exercises, which are related to different forms of communications and cooperation with foreign vessels.
Aside from officially declared training objectives, PASSEX drills are usually a way to show the power of a country’s navy for geopolitical reasons.