The USS (CVN-73) “George Washington”, an aircraft carrier that leads the Carrier Strike Group USN (CSG) of the United States Navy, arrived in the city of Punta Arenas this Tuesday, to begin the initiative “Southern Seas” of US SOUTHCOM, which seeks to improve interoperability and strengthen ties with the maritime forces of the region.
This is the tenth mission to Latin America since 2007 and the third time involving the aircraft carrier, which also participated in the 2008 and 2015 versions, the latter being the previous time it transited the Strait of Magellan.
After passing through southern Chile, it will arrive between June 11 and 12 in Valparaíso. Prior to its arrival, it carried out various exercises with units of the Chilean Navy within the framework of “Southern Seas” between June 11 and 15, activities that this task force already carried out with the navies of Brazil and Argentina, and that, After its interaction with national vessels, it will continue with its program in Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
The entry operations into our jurisdictional waters began in the early hours of today, after passing through the eastern tip of the Strait and where it was received by the FF-15 “Blanco Encalada”, a unit belonging to the National Squad. This escort maneuver, which will conclude in Valparaíso, was complemented by the capabilities of the Punta Delgada Harbor Master’s Office, which coordinated the boarding of pilot officers and facilitated the transit of the units, keeping the ferry crossing in Primera Angostura suspended by a few minutes to ensure preferential passage through the Strait.
After approximately 8 hours of navigation, the US Navy units arrived at the capital of the Magallanes Region and the Chilean Antarctic to remain “on tour” at the Prat dock. Immediately afterwards, national authorities, led by the Minister of Defense, Maya Fernández; the Commander in Chief of the Navy, Admiral Juan Andrés De la Maza; and representatives of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as local authorities, approached the unit to hold a protocol meeting with the commanders of this North American task force.
After the meeting, Minister Fernández noted that “it was an opportunity to talk and exchange opinions. We had already had previous visits on two occasions. And this third instance will arrive in Valparaíso, which allows the relationship to be strengthened, given that the Strait of Magellan is strategically important and Chile has control of this area. This allows us a deeper relationship, since Navy officers are piloting in the Strait and during the journey to Valparaíso, combined maneuvers will be carried out between the Navies, which will allow us to strengthen the relationship and obtain experiences that improve our capabilities.”
