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The United States Ambassador to Argentina, the Cuban-American Peter Lamelas, confirmed this Sunday his participation in the joint naval exercises between both navies in the South Atlantic, by posting on his official X account: "The USS Nimitz is coming to the South Atlantic and I will be there."
The message was a direct response to the announcement from the Argentine Armed Forces, which stated that the nuclear aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, along with its carrier strike group and the destroyer USS Gridley, would be conducting maneuvers with the Argentine Navy during its passage through the Argentine Sea.
For these exercises, Argentina designated six surface units: the destroyers ARA Sarandí (D-13) and ARA La Argentina (D-11), the corvettes ARA Robinson (P-45) and ARA Rosales (P-42), and the ocean patrol vessels ARA Piedrabuena (P-52) and ARA Contraalmirante Cordero (P-54).
Two Sikorsky SH-3H Sea King helicopters and two Lockheed P-3C Orion aircraft from the Argentine Naval Aviation will also participate.
According to specialized media, the exercises will take place off the coasts of Necochea and Quequén, in the province of Buenos Aires.
The deployment of the USS Nimitz in the South Atlantic comes at a time of heightened diplomatic tension between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.
Last Friday, Reuters leaked a confidential Pentagon document suggesting that Trump reconsider Washington's historical neutrality on the Falklands as a pressure tactic against NATO allies—particularly the United Kingdom—who did not support U.S. military operations against Iran.
The Pentagon spokesperson, Kingsley Wilson, did not deny the memorandum and stated that "credible options" will be offered to President Trump.
President Javier Milei reaffirmed that "the Malvinas were, are, and will always be Argentine," while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer rejected any threats and reiterated the "undisputed sovereignty" based on the self-determination of the islanders.
In that context, the presence of Ambassador Lamelas at the naval exercises carries significant symbolic weight.
Lamelas, a Cuban-American doctor and businessman born in Cuba who arrived in Florida at the age of four on a Red Cross ship, was appointed by Trump on December 12, 2024 as part of a strategy to place Cuban-Americans in key positions of foreign policy toward Latin America, alongside Marco Rubio as Secretary of State and Mauricio Claver-Carone as the person in charge of Latin American Affairs.
Lamelas himself defines as "Cuban by birth, American by the grace of God."
On Saturday, one day before confirming his attendance at the exercises, Lamelas publicly praised the reforms of Milei's government by stating, "The world is watching Argentina, and it likes what it sees. With Javier Milei's reforms: stability, clear rules, and a real direction. Investment is already coming in."
The USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is the oldest nuclear aircraft carrier in active service with the U.S. Navy, commissioned in 1975. With a length of 333 meters, a displacement of 104,000 tons, and nuclear propulsion, it can operate up to 90 aircraft and accommodate approximately 6,000 personnel.
Prior to its arrival in Argentina, the USS Nimitz conducted exercises with the Chilean Navy last Wednesday, and will subsequently participate in the Southern Seas 2026 exercise off the coast of Rio de Janeiro with the Brazilian Navy, from May 11 to 14.
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