As Trump Ramps Up Cuba Pressure, Enter the Nimitz

An American supercarrier just pulled into a politically charged stretch of water, the New York Times reports. The USS Nimitz and its escort ships entered the southern Caribbean on Wednesday, a move US Southern Command framed as a show of strength as the Trump administration steps up pressure on Cuba, according to the command and a US official. The aircraft carrier—the US Navy's oldest supercarrier, per Forbes—carrying a wing of fighter jets, is expected to stay in the area for at least several days.

The carrier isn't being positioned for major combat operations, the official said, but as a visible signal—unlike the USS Gerald Ford, which served as a launchpad for the January commando raid that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The Nimitz has been on a planned training cruise along South America's coast, recently drilling with Brazil's navy. Its arrival in the Caribbean coincided with Cuban Independence Day as well as the Justice Department's announcement of criminal charges against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro, 94, timing that raised eyebrows. Southern Command welcomed the strike group on social media, the Hill reports, praising the Nimitz's record "from the Taiwan Strait to the Arabian Gulf." The amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli also remains in the region.