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US aircraft carrier to deploy to the Caribbean
AFP
WASHINGTON
Petroleumworld.com 03 28 06The US Navy is sending an aircraft carrier into the Caribbean next month for the first time since 2003 to reaffirm military ties with countries in the region, the military said Tuesday.
The two month deployment of the USS George Washington and three other warships comes at a time of growing US concern over attempts by populist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to make political inroads in the region.
In addition to the ship visits, US marines are joining troops from Britain and 16 other countries in Jamaica for an exercise this month and next called "Tradewinds 2006," which is centered on security for the 2007 World Cup of Cricket.
A Pentagon official said it will be the first time that the Navy has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group to the Caribbean since the 2003 closure of the Atlantic fleet's premier training range at Vieques, an island off Puerto Rico.
"We've had a very limited navy presence there from what we used to have. So this is good to get back there and visit some of those island nations," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
"In order to have a presence you have to be there. This really underscores our commitment to the region," he said. "It shows we're interested in the region."
The navy deployment, which will run from early April through late May, will include port calls and operations with "various forces from Latin America and the Caribbean other governments" dealing with drug smuggling and human trafficking, the US Southern Command said.
"The deployment will focus on enhancing military-to-military relationships with regional partner nations, improving operational readiness and fostering good will," the Miami, Florida-based command said.
Neither the command nor Pentagon officials would say what ports will be visited or what other governments are taking part.
In the past, though, Navy cruises have made port calls in Colombia and the Netherland Antilles, which lie just off Venezuela's northern coastline.
Although this would be the first aircraft carrier deployment in the Caribbean since 2003, the navy has held annual maritime exercises with Caribbean and Latin American navies called "Unitas."
Venezuela, which took part in the "Unitas" exercises every year since it began in 1959 in the wake of the Cuban revolution, has stayed away since 2003.
AFP 27 03 06 2307GMTCopyright © 1994-2006 Agence France-Presse. All Rights Reserved.
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