Amid tension between the US and Cuba, US naval vessels deployed to the Caribbean and its surrounding waters consist of two main groups: the USS Nimitz (CVN-6
carrier group, and the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) Amphibious Ready Group.
The USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7), which notably took part in the Maduro capture, has stayed in the region since, alongside the USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-2
. Between the group, approximately 4,500 marines and sailors make up the amphibious assault group that has MV-22B Ospreys as well as its own F-35B's as part of a package that specialises in amphibious assaults, like what would be required for Cuba. The USS Iwo Jima recently took part in the Venezuela diplomatic evacuation drills carried out by Marines from the group.
The USS Nimitz (CVN-6
carrier group, while in the region, is notably under-equipped to be a significant asset in an operation against Cuba. The Nimitz only has one destroyer escort, the USS Gridley (DDG-101), instead of the usual two or even three destroyer escorts normally seen for combat deployments, as the destroyers make up the majority of the carrier's defensive layer, as well as a large capacity for offensive guided missile capabilities. The Nimitz is also travelling with half of its usual 4 squadrons of Super Hornet aircraft, its main offensive aircraft, meaning the carrier group's offensive and defensive capabilities are significantly reduced. The USS Nimitz group also hasn't completed Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) to our knowledge, a multi-week training drill required for a carrier group to complete before being eligible for combat tasking. With the combination of no COMPTUEX certification and a limited carrier group footprint, the likelihood of the carrier groups' involvement in a near-future combat operation against Cuba is unlikely. The group would likely need to be reinforced first, then enter a multi-week COMPTUEX drill with its new reinforcements, which would take some time before it's ready and be noticed, or if the ship completed COMPTUEX secretly along its passage around South America, it would risk entering combat operations with limited offensive and defensive capabilities with a ship at the end of its life span.
The USS Nimitz, is scheduled to be decommissioned early next year, as the ship was stationed on the western side of the US (Bremerton, Washington), and being too large to pass through the Panama canal, it had to make a trip around south American on its way to the decommissioning port (Norfolk, Virginia), which is why its *officially* passing through the region, not as part of a specific deployment to the Caribbean.
