USS George Washington aircraft carrier and Chafee destroyer will reach Port of Callao in October to conduct joint exercises in the Peruvian Sea, the Embassy of the United States of America in Lima informed today.
The powerful U.S. navy units will remain in the country from October 3-7 as part of the "Southern Seas 2015" tour held by United States Navy in Panama, Colombia, Chile, Brazil and Argentina from September to December this year.
While in Peru, American soldiers will conduct operations along with members of the Peruvian Navy.
Southern Seas 2015 is part of the United States Southern Command's cooperation including humanitarian aid and multinational exchanges, according to a release by the diplomatic mission to Lima.
Low-income students will be allowed to get on board and will even have the chance to tour the USS George Washington's facilities that house 3,200 crew members.
"This deployment shows our continuous commitment and permanent relationships with friendly nations," said Rear Adm. George Ballance, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet.
He said the presence of US naval units in Peru provides an opportunity to "get together and jointly test our skills in a sea-based context. I welcome this multinational participation and this opportunity to learn from each other as part of the deployment."
USS George Washington (CVN 73) is a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier and the fourth U.S. Navy ship named after George Washington, the first President of United States.
It transports fight, attack and electronic warfare squadrons, as well as helicopters and anti-submarines. It was built by Newport News Shipbuilding and was commissioned on 4 July 1992.
Meanwhile, USS Chafee (DDG-90) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer designated as active unit of the Pacific Fleet in 2003. It currently serves the United States Navy's 5th Fleet.
(END) NDP/ASH/RMB/MVB
Published: 9/30/2015