The U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60) conducted an exercise in international waters with the Guyana Defense Force’s Shahoud patrol vessel. The activity took place amidst growing tensions between Guyana and Venezuela over the Esequibo dispute and joins recent maneuvers carried out in the Caribbean in early March by naval vessels from the U.S., the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, which also operate in the region.
Over the past few months, friction and tensions between the governments of Venezuela and Guyana have intensified. As reported by Escenario Mundial in early March, coinciding with preparations for the launch of the European Space Agency’s Ariane 6 rocket, the Guyana government accused a Venezuelan Bolivarian Navy oceanic patrol vessel of entering its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The Venezuelan vessel allegedly approached dangerously close to an ExxonMobil Floating Production, Storage, and Offloading (FPSO) unit, creating a new controversy in the region.
Days after this incident, the USS Normandy, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, and the USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, participated in a combined exercise in the Caribbean Sea with the navies of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The maneuvers included the deployment of guided-missile cruisers and destroyers, oceanic patrol vessels, and embarked aircraft from the participating forces. Under this framework, U.S. Southern Command’s Naval Forces stated that the exercise, named PASSEX, was aimed at fostering information exchange and improving joint operational capabilities in the Southern Command Area of Responsibility (AOR).
Notably, the new deployment of the USS Normandy alongside the Guyana Defense Force reinforces Washington’s stance in the region and its interest in the territorial dispute between Georgetown and Caracas. During this session, both naval forces sought to improve communication and interoperability between their personnel and assets, conducting combined activities in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
The exercises included PASSEX-type activities between the cruiser and the patrol vessel, including training in communications and maneuvers to enhance interoperability between both forces. Also highlighted was the support for the USS Normandy‘s embarked aviation elements, consisting of an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter from the 50th Maritime Attack Squadron.
Additionally, the exercises took place just before the scheduled visit of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Guyana on Thursday. His visit is expected to reaffirm the United States’ commitment to supporting Guyana’s sovereignty and security, particularly in light of the increasing tensions with Venezuela. It is important to remember that both countries maintain a dispute over the Esequibo region, an area rich in resources, where oil reserves have been discovered in Guyana’s offshore fields.
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