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A delegation composed of senior civil and military officials from the Dominican Republic visited the American aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) last Sunday while the ship was operating in Caribbean waters as part of the multinational exercise Southern Seas 2026.
The visit, coordinated by the United States Embassy in Santo Domingo, took place at a time of growing regional attention regarding the deployment of the U.S. combat group, whose presence in the area has sparked speculation and debate in several Caribbean countries.
The Dominican delegation was transported by air to the aircraft carrier, where they were welcomed by Captain Joseph J. Furco, commander of the USS Nimitz, and Rear Admiral Cassidy Norman, reported the Dominican government in a statement.
Among the participants were the Dominican Minister of Defense, Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre; the Minister of Tourism, David Collado; the Commander General of the Air Force, Floreal Suárez Martínez; the President of the National Drug Control Directorate (DNCD), José Manuel Cabrera Ulloa; and the Executive Director of the National Department of Investigations (DNI), Luis Soto.
During the visit, the officials gained firsthand insight into the operational capabilities of the aircraft carrier, including its command and control systems, onboard air operations, and the logistical infrastructure that enables its deployment in different regions of the world.
The United States Embassy emphasized that the meeting reaffirmed bilateral cooperation between Washington and Santo Domingo in areas related to regional security, the fight against transnational organized crime, disaster response, and institutional strengthening.
As part of the event, several members of the delegation received commemorative recognitions for their participation in the visit. The Minister of Tourism, David Collado, shared images of the experience on his social media and stated that observing the operation of the aircraft carrier was something he had only seen in movies until then.
The Dominican visit took place just a few days after the USS Nimitz made a stop in Kingston, Jamaica, a stop that sparked reactions and speculation in various sectors of the region due to the island's proximity to Cuba and the tense context between Washington and Havana.
Jamaican authorities later rejected reports that linked the presence of the ship to possible military preparations against Cuba and defended the stopover as part of the usual naval cooperation programs between the United States and allied countries.
Nonetheless, the presence of the carrier strike group in the Caribbean continues to be closely monitored by analysts and regional governments due to the worsening relations between the United States and the Cuban regime in recent months.
The USS Nimitz, one of the most iconic aircraft carriers of the U.S. Navy, is currently undertaking what is considered its final major operational deployment before its expected retirement from active service in 2027, bringing to a close over half a century of naval operations around the world.
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