The USS Nimitz is deploying to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility for a maritime exercise with South American partner nations, the Navy announced on Monday.
The carrier, along with the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gridley, will join countries to conduct passing exercises, undergo operations at sea and swap subject matter expertise.
“The Southern Seas 2026 deployment provides a unique opportunity to enhance interoperability and increase proficiency with our partner-nation forces across the maritime domain,” said Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet. “Deployments like this demonstrate our unwavering commitment to ensuring a secure and stable Western Hemisphere.
Representatives from South American countries, which include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Uruguay, will also observe U.S. aircraft carrier operations up close, the release said.
Port visits are scheduled for Brazil, Chile, Panama and Jamaica.
The exercise marks the 11th iteration of Southern Seas since 2007.
Since September 2025, U.S. Southern Command has overseen lethal military strikes against alleged drug-carrying vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea in support of what the Pentagon has labeled counternarcotics efforts.
The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group includes its flagship, Nimitz, the embarked members of Carrier Strike Group 11, Commander Destroy Squadron 9, embarked Carrier Air Wing 17 and the USS Gridley.
Carrier Air Wing 17 is comprised of six squadrons flying F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, C-2A Greyhounds and MH-60R/S Sea Hawks.
The service life of the USS Nimitz was extended to March 2027, a Navy official confirmed to Military Times on March 14.
The carrier, which was commissioned in 1975, was initially slated to return to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, and be decommissioned in 2026.
The Nimitz most recently returned from a nine-month deployment to the U.S. 3rd, 5th and 7th Fleets that began March 21, 2025, when it set sail from Naval Base Kitsap, Washington.
Riley Ceder is a reporter at Military Times, where he covers breaking news, criminal justice, investigations, and cyber. He previously worked as an investigative practicum student at The Washington Post, where he contributed to the Abused by the Badge investigation.
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