MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US troops train in Argentina with USS Nimitz in Atlantic Dagger exercise

Argentine Navy officers were embedded on the Nimitz as part of the exchange

US troops began joint maneuvers on Tuesday with their Argentine counterparts as part of the “Atlantic Dagger” exercise, one of the broadest joint military operations between the two countries in decades, alongside the deployment of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in South Atlantic waters. The simultaneous presence of special forces on Argentine soil and a US naval strike group off the Atlantic coast forms part of a single package authorized by President Javier Milei through Necessity and Urgency Decree 264/2026, after Congress failed to take up a 2025 bill to enable the entry of foreign troops.

The Atlantic Dagger exercise runs from April 21 to June 12 at Puerto Belgrano Naval Base, the Córdoba Military Garrison, and the VII Air Brigade of the Argentine Air Force, in Moreno (Buenos Aires province). The operation combines approximately 150 Argentine troops — drawn from the Joint Special Operations Command, the Tactical Divers Group, the Air Force's Special Operations Group (GOE), the Amphibious Commandos Group, and the Joint Communications Company — with around 70 US service members, including Green Berets, Navy SEALs, and personnel from the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC). The drills focus on counterterrorism, hostage rescue, direct action, and combined operations in high-intensity scenarios. Originally scheduled for April on a larger scale, the exercise was downsized due to the need to redirect US resources to the war against Iran.

In parallel, the USS Nimitz strike group — accompanied by the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Gridley — is taking part from April 26 to 30 in the PASSEX operation within Argentina's Exclusive Economic Zone, off the coasts of Mar del Plata, Necochea, and Trelew. Six Argentine ships, along with aircraft and helicopters, are conducting maneuvers alongside the carrier, which at 333 meters in length is too large to dock in any Argentine port. Argentine Navy officers were embedded on the Nimitz as part of the exchange. According to an Argentine Navy statement, the exercises aim to “raise the level of training of crews and strengthen sovereign presence at sea.” This marks the final tour of the Nimitz, the oldest carrier in its class, ahead of its planned decommissioning in 2027.

The deployment is part of a broader bilateral defense cooperation agenda that included the delivery of 24 US F-16 fighter jets from Denmark in late 2025, and falls within the so-called “Shield of the Americas” announced by President Donald Trump in March. Other countries in the region, including Mexico and Chile, have also participated in the Nimitz's “Southern Seas 2026” tour.

The operation unfolds at a time of marked political deterioration for the Argentine ruling party. The president's approval fell to 33.1% in April, according to consultancy Zentrix, against 60.6% disapproval, while the regional CB Global Data survey placed Milei 14th among 18 Latin American leaders, with a 6.1-point drop in a single month. The October midterm elections are approaching against a backdrop of persistent inflation, contracting economic activity, and corruption scandals affecting Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni and former Infrastructure Coordination Secretary Carlos Frugoni.