Argentina’s Navy conducts military exercises with US aircraft carrier

Argentina’s Navy has begun a series of military manoeuvres in the South Atlantic alongside forces from the United States, which has deployed the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz for the operation, the Defence Ministry in Buenos Aires said Tuesday. 

The deployment forms part of the wider “Southern Seas 2026” naval operation coordinated by US Southern Command.

The exercises, which will run until Thursday, are taking place within Argentina’s exclusive economic zone following the passage of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and the destroyer USS Gridley.

The entry of the two vessels was authorised by President Javier Milei by decree earlier this month. 

Milei, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, has been invited by the US ambassador to Buenos Aires, Peter Lamelas, to tour the Nimitz, although the visit “has not yet been confirmed,” government sources told the AFP news agency on Tuesday..

The drills are being carried out within the framework of “Passex 2026” – an exercise conducted when a foreign warship transits Argentina’s coastline – and will include search-and-rescue, defence and attack manoeuvres in maritime scenarios as the carrier continues its route north along the Argentine coast.

Officials have described the broader set of joint drills as among the most significant in decades, aimed at improving interoperability, tactical coordination and standardised procedures between the two militaries.

Milei’s government has also authorised the entry into national territory of US Armed Forces personnel and equipment for the joint exercise ‘Atlantic Dagger,’ a training operation that began on April 21 and is scheduled to continue until June 12, according to a pre-announced timetable.

The training will involve the Puerto Belgrano naval base and the VII Air Brigade in Moreno, both based in Buenos Aires Province, as well as the Córdoba military garrison in the central province.

Argentine naval units, including the destroyer ARA La Argentina and the corvette ARA Rosales, have been deployed to take part in the exercises, with further vessels expected to join during the week.

The Nimitz entered Argentine waters last Sunday. As of Tuesday, it was located near the coast of Mar del Plata, a city 400 km south of the capital, with further exercises planned off Trelew and Necochea in the coming days.

– TIMES/AFP/PERFIL