Guests from the government and military of Guatemala watch carrier landing training on the USS Nimitz on March 26, 2026. The aircraft carrier is deployed as part of Southern Seas 2026 exercises in the eastern Pacific. (Tanner Orth/U.S. Navy)
The USS Nimitz hosted senior Guatemalan military and political officials during a visit tied to the Southern Seas 2026 multinational exercises in the eastern Pacific.
The Nimitz has transitioned from the 3rd Fleet area of operations, which covers the Pacific as far south as Mexico, to the 4th Fleet area of operations, which includes the Pacific and Atlantic on either side of Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean.
The Nimitz deployed to the exercises on its way from its former homeport of Bremerton at Naval Base Kitsap near Seattle to its future homeport of Norfolk, Va. The ship will circumnavigate South America during the trip.
The Pentagon announced this month that the Nimitz, marking its 50th year with the Navy since commissioning in 1975, will remain in the active fleet until at least March 2027, when the new USS John F. Kennedy carrier is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy.
The Nimitz had been slated to begin its retirement and decommissioning next month in Norfolk, but the Navy extended its service life to meet a congressional requirement for the fleet to have 11 aircraft carriers. The John F. Kennedy is the second of the new Gerald R. Ford-class carriers to be built.
The Guatemalan delegation that visited the Nimitz on March 26 was accompanied by John M. Barrett, charge d’affaires at the U.S. embassy in Guatemala, as well as other senior officials from the Guatemalan government and the Ministry of Defense.
The Nimitz is expected to host additional foreign visitors during the exercises.
U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Cassidy Norman, commander of Carrier Strike Group 11, greets distinguished visitors from Guatemala on the USS Nimitz in the Pacific Ocean, March 26, 2026. (Tanner Orth/U.S. Navy)
While aboard, the delegation met with U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Cassidy Norman, commander of Carrier Strike Group 11, and Capt. Joseph Furco, commanding officer of the Nimitz.
“The leaders discussed the Southern Seas 2026 mission and the strong maritime partnership between Guatemala and the U.S.,” the Navy said in a statement.
Visitors were also able to observe flight operations from Nimitz’s flight deck.
Southern Seas 2026 is the 11th iteration of the regional exercise since 2007.
During the deployment, the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is scheduled to conduct passing exercises and operations at sea with partner nation maritime forces.
The strike group includes the Nimitz, Carrier Air Wing 17, Destroyer Squadron 9 and Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Gridley.
The crew of the USS Nimitz welcome visitors arriving from the government of Guatemala. USS Nimitz is deployed as part of Southern Seas 2026 multi-national exercises (Tanner Orth/U.S. Navy)
