The great protagonist of the maritime military maneuvers was the aircraft carrier USS “George Washington” on its course of the “Southern Seas 2024” operation, of the US Southern Command . Having left the Norfolk Naval Base in the last days of April, its route includes the destinations of Brazil, Chile, Peru and Colombia , ending in Japan to relieve the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) there, after a stopover. in San Diego.
On its voyage through Latin America, the Nimitz-class ship is accompanied by the aircraft carrier USS “George Washington”, the destroyer USS “Porter” and the logistics ship USNS “John Lenthall” . In turn, the embarked air groups are made up of MH-60 helicopters and F-35, F/A-18, EA-18 and E-2C aircraft .
There were three days of military and rescue action drills, covering all types of joint air and maritime operations, with the participation of 750 Argentine soldiers and seven national ships.
It took place 14 years after the last binational military meeting, in a context in which Argentina has already purchased 24 F-16 fighter planes of American origin and the presidency of Javier Milei aligned itself with the United States and Israel , in a change resounding regarding international geopolitical alliances, in marked opposition to the interests of ties with China and Russia .
The exchange began when the MEKO 360 ARA destroyer “La Argentina” went to meet the aircraft carrier USS “George Washington” 150 miles off the coast of Mar del Plata, last Wednesday; In the following days, throughout Exercise PASSEX Gringo-Gaucho II in the Argentine Sea, units belonging to the Sea Fleet, the Maritime Patrol Division, and the Naval Aviation Command participated.
Various types of ships took part on the Argentine side, including destroyers, corvettes and ocean patrol vessels, helicopters and patrol planes . And on the North American side, the three vessels were joined by fifth-generation fighter aircraft , fighter-bombers, early warning aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft and multipurpose helicopters.
The Minister of Defense, Mr. Luis Petri , witnessed the activities accompanied by Foreign Minister Diana Mondino , the United States Ambassador to Argentina Marc Stanley ; the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, Brigadier General Xavier Isaac , and the Chief of the General Staff of the Navy, Rear Admiral Carlos María Allievi.
“The exercise in military matters is transcendental, that our Navy can exercise with the most important Navy in the world and three weeks ago it did so with France,” said Petri .
They took place search and rescue SAR exercises, underwater threat scenarios, photography exercises, air defense with aircraft overflight and attack drills on surface assets.
Assisted by the Argentine Navy were the destroyers ARA “ Sarandí ” and ARA “ La Argentina ”; the ARA “ Espora ” and ARA “ Rosales ” corvettes; the ocean patrol vessels ARA “ Storni ”, ARA “ Piedrabuena ” and ARA “ Contrealmirante Cordero ”, Fennec helicopters of the First Aeronaval Helicopter Squadron and Sea King of the Second Aeronaval Helicopter Squadron and Beechcraft B200 aircraft of the Aeronaval Maritime Surveillance Squadron.
