Rear Adm. Cassidy Norman, commander of Carrier Strike Group 11, exchanges gifts with Chilean President José Antonio Kast during a tour of the USS Nimitz on April 16, 2026. (Peter K. McHaddad/U.S. Navy)
New Chilean President José Antonio Kast was part of a delegation that toured the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz during a port call in Valparaiso, Chile, last week.
The April 17 visit was linked to the Nimitz’s ongoing participation in the Southern Seas 2026 exercises. The Nimitz was accompanied by the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Gridley.
The delegation was flown aboard the Nimitz to tour the ship, observe flight deck operations and discuss the multinational mission of the Southern Seas 2026 exercise.
Before arriving at Valparaiso, the Nimitz took part in a joint air patrol with the Chilean Air Force in which U.S. Navy F/A‑18E/F Super Hornets flew with Chilean Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons.
U.S. Navy Boatswain’s Mate Seaman Vincent Foster stands the lookout watch from vultures’ row aboard USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in the waters outside Valparaiso, Chile, on April 17, 2026. (Edward Jacome/U.S. Navy)
“The effort we made to showcase our warfighting capability and the professionalism of this crew reflects our enthusiasm for building an enduring partnership with Chile — one we continue to strengthen through training and operating together at sea,” said Rear Adm. Cassidy Norman, the commander of Carrier Strike Group 11.
The visit also included a meeting between Norman and Rear Adm. Jorge Castillo, Chilean Navy fleet commander.
Kast was inaugurated president on March 11 after he won 58% of the vote in a December 2025 runoff against Communist Party candidate Jeannette Jara. A longtime conservative politician in Chile and supporter of the late dictator Augusto Pinochet, Kast replaced Gabriel Boric, a leftist who served a four-year term.
After leaving Chilean waters, USS Nimitz is scheduled to pass around the southern tip of South America and head north in the Atlantic toward its new homeport at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.
The carrier is scheduled to be retired next year when the new Gerald R. Ford-class carrier USS John F. Kennedy is scheduled to be commissioned.
