{"id":83083,"date":"2026-05-21T19:20:31","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T19:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T20:09:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T20:09:25","slug":"uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/","title":{"rendered":"USS Nimitz arrives in Caribbean as US-Cuba tension mounts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. Navy\u2019s oldest aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its strike group are now officially operating in the Caribbean Sea, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Southcom\/status\/2057131106005090406?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">according<\/a> to U.S. Southern Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Wednesday announcement came on the same day that the U.S. Department of Justice <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/united-states-unseals-superseding-indictment-charging-raul-castro-and-five-castro-regime-co\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">announced<\/a> charges against the country\u2019s former president Ra\u00fal Castro, 94, for his part in a 1996 shoot-down of a plane that killed three Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the embarked Carrier Air Wing 17 (CVW-17), USS Gridley (DDG 101) and USNS Patuxent (T-AO 201) are the epitome of readiness and presence, unmatched reach and lethality, and strategic advantage,\u201d SOUTHCOM said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Carrier Air Wing 17 contains nine squadrons that fly F\/A-18C\/E\/F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, E-2D Hawkeyes, C-2A Greyhounds and MH-60R\/S Sea Hawks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The USS Nimitz <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2025\/12\/17\/uss-nimitz-returns-home-for-likely-last-time-before-retirement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2025\/12\/17\/uss-nimitz-returns-home-for-likely-last-time-before-retirement\/\">returned<\/a> in December 2025 from a nine-month deployment to the U.S. 3rd, 5th and 7th Fleets that began March 21, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The carrier was set to be decommissioned in 2026, having been originally commissioned in 1975, but the Navy announced in March 2026 that it was extending its service life to March 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2025\/11\/06\/a-list-of-us-military-strikes-against-alleged-drug-carrying-vessels\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"167\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/drug-vessel.png.png?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">A list of US military strikes against alleged drug-carrying vessels<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Military Times&#039; timeline of strikes conducted by the U.S. military in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since early September.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The carrier <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navy.mil\/Press-Office\/News-Stories\/display-news\/Article\/4428513\/uss-nimitz-conducts-milestone-departure-from-naval-base-kitsap\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">left<\/a> Naval Base Kitsap, Washington, on March 7, 2026, as part of a final scheduled homeport shift to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But on March 23, the USS Nimitz <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/03\/24\/uss-nimitz-now-in-service-until-2027-heads-to-southcom-exercise\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/03\/24\/uss-nimitz-now-in-service-until-2027-heads-to-southcom-exercise\/\">deployed<\/a> to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility to participate in Southern Seas 2026, a maritime exercise conducted in partnership with South American allies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The timing of the carrier\u2019s deployment to the Caribbean coincides with a newfound strain in the historically thorny relationship between the U.S. and Cuba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. has reportedly ramped up military intelligence gathering flights off the coast of Cuba over the past few months, with the U.S. Navy and Air Force sending aircraft and drones near the island 25 times since Feb. 4, <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2026\/05\/10\/americas\/us-spy-flights-cuba-latam-intl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">according<\/a> to CNN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Trump has voiced his political interest in the country several times during his time in the Oval Office, most recently <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/5887941-trump-cuba-escalation-no\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">declaring<\/a> on Wednesday that he and his administration have \u201cCuba on our mind.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Months earlier, Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/trump-suggests-u-s-could-have-friendly-takeover-of-cuba\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/trump-suggests-u-s-could-have-friendly-takeover-of-cuba\">floated<\/a> the idea of a \u201cfriendly takeover of Cuba\u201d on Feb. 27, a day before the U.S. launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2026\/01\/addressing-threats-to-the-united-states-by-the-government-of-cuba\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2026\/01\/addressing-threats-to-the-united-states-by-the-government-of-cuba\/\">signed<\/a> an executive order on Jan. 29 imposing a tariff on all nations selling oil to Cuba. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The economic pressure that has resulted from the tariff has contributed to problems with the country\u2019s power grid, forcing rolling blackouts and fuel shortages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CIA Director John Ratcliffe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/americas\/us-government-plane-spotted-havanas-international-airport-2026-05-14\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\" title=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/americas\/us-government-plane-spotted-havanas-international-airport-2026-05-14\/\">traveled<\/a> to Cuba on May 14 to discuss matters of diplomacy and national and international security, reportedly telling Cuban officials that the Trump administration would \u201cseriously engage\u201d with the island\u2019s government if it made \u201cfundamental changes.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Department of Justice charged former Cuban president Ra\u00fal Castro on Wednesday for his part in a 1996 plane shoot-down that killed three Americans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":113187,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":65,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news"],"primary_category":"your-military"}}},"categories":[101,12,26,65],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3407],"class_list":["post-83083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-news","category-newsletters","category-your-navy"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"NUSI7HYUARCDBFZFRV5NDJWPJE","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>USS Nimitz arrives in Caribbean as US-Cuba tension mounts - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The U.S. Department of Justice charged former Cuban president Ra\u00fal Castro on Wednesday for his part in a 1996 plane shoot-down that killed three Americans.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"USS Nimitz arrives in Caribbean as US-Cuba tension mounts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The U.S. Department of Justice charged former Cuban president Ra\u00fal Castro on Wednesday for his part in a 1996 plane shoot-down that killed three Americans.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-21T19:20:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T20:09:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Riley Ceder\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Riley Ceder\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/21\\\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/21\\\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"USS Nimitz arrives in Caribbean as US-Cuba tension mounts\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-05-21T19:20:31+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T20:09:25+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/21\\\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 455,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/21\\\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/uss-nimitz.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\",\n\t                \"Your Navy\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/21\\\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/21\\\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/21\\\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"USS Nimitz arrives in Caribbean as US-Cuba tension mounts - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/21\\\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/21\\\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/uss-nimitz.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2026-05-21T19:20:31+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T20:09:25+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The U.S. Department of Justice charged former Cuban president Ra\u00fal Castro on Wednesday for his part in a 1996 plane shoot-down that killed three Americans.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/21\\\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/21\\\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/21\\\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/uss-nimitz.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/uss-nimitz.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/21\\\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"News\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"news\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Your Navy\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/news\\\/your-navy\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"your-navy\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 4,\n\t                    \"name\": \"USS Nimitz arrives in Caribbean as US-Cuba tension mounts\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"USS Nimitz arrives in Caribbean as US-Cuba tension mounts - Navy Times","description":"The U.S. Department of Justice charged former Cuban president Ra\u00fal Castro on Wednesday for his part in a 1996 plane shoot-down that killed three Americans.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"USS Nimitz arrives in Caribbean as US-Cuba tension mounts","og_description":"The U.S. Department of Justice charged former Cuban president Ra\u00fal Castro on Wednesday for his part in a 1996 plane shoot-down that killed three Americans.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2026-05-21T19:20:31+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T20:09:25+00:00","author":"Riley Ceder","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Riley Ceder","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"USS Nimitz arrives in Caribbean as US-Cuba tension mounts","datePublished":"2026-05-21T19:20:31+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T20:09:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/"},"wordCount":455,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/uss-nimitz.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","News","Newsletters","Your Navy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/","name":"USS Nimitz arrives in Caribbean as US-Cuba tension mounts - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/uss-nimitz.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-21T19:20:31+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T20:09:25+00:00","description":"The U.S. Department of Justice charged former Cuban president Ra\u00fal Castro on Wednesday for his part in a 1996 plane shoot-down that killed three Americans.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/uss-nimitz.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/uss-nimitz.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2026\/05\/21\/uss-nimitz-arrives-in-caribbean-as-us-cuba-tension-mounts\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/","ad_zone":"news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Your Navy","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/","ad_zone":"your-navy"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"USS Nimitz arrives in Caribbean as US-Cuba tension mounts"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/uss-nimitz.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83083"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83092,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83083\/revisions\/83092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83083"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=83083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}