Overview
- U.S. Southern Command, which confirmed the tour Monday, said the USS Nimitz and destroyer USS Gridley will visit Brazil, Chile, Panama and Jamaica and train with forces from ten countries.
- Panama’s aeronaval service said the ships will be in Panamanian waters March 29 to April 2, with the carrier anchored offshore and the destroyer moored at Amador Cruise Port.
- The strike group will circle South America via Chile’s Strait of Magellan rather than use the Panama Canal, a route choice reinforced by the carrier’s size, which exceeds canal limits.
- Officials said the deployment supports a move to a new East Coast homeport on June 20 after the southward circumnavigation of the continent.
- The Navy describes Southern Seas 2026 as the eleventh run of a recurring cooperation series, while reports note the veteran Nimitz remains in service until 2027 after a postponed retirement.