USS Nimitz Makes Final Foreign Port Call in Jamaica Before 2027 Decommissioning

2 articles · Updated · Forbes · May 30

Kingston will host USS Nimitz for five days starting Monday, likely the carrier’s last foreign port visit before it is decommissioned next March after nearly 52 years in service.
Southern Seas 2026 has taken the oldest active U.S. nuclear supercarrier through Latin America on a maritime cooperation and goodwill tour, with Jamaican officials, defense personnel and students set to tour the ship.
CVN-68 reached the Caribbean earlier this month after sailing around South America via the Strait of Magellan because the carrier is too large to pass through the Panama Canal.
The visit comes as the U.S. keeps a military presence in the region through Operation Southern Spear and watches tensions involving Cuba, with no further Nimitz port calls yet announced.

As the Navy plans for 450 ships, why does it rely on its oldest carrier for a critical Caribbean mission?

Is the Nimitz's final Caribbean visit a diplomatic tour or a calculated warning to Cuba amidst escalating tensions?

How will the historic indictment of Raúl Castro reshape U.S. military and diplomatic strategy in the Caribbean?