Guyana’s military carried out separate exercises with the United States and Brazil over the weekend, as the oil producer deepens regional defense cooperation with its partners.
The U.S. Embassy in Georgetown said President Irfaan Ali visited the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier during its Southern Seas 2026 deployment, where the vessel conducted exercises with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
“The United States and Guyana share a commitment to regional security and prosperity,” U.S. Ambassador Nicole Theriot said in a statement published by the embassy. “The visit of the USS Nimitz demonstrates our dedication to working hand-in-hand with Guyana and our Caribbean partners to address shared challenges and build a safer, stronger hemisphere for all our citizens.”
The embassy said the exercises were aimed at strengthening alliances and improving capabilities to address regional security challenges, while highlighting Guyana’s participation in the Shield of the Americas Coalition.
The USS Nimitz, one of the U.S. Navy’s largest aircraft carriers, is deployed as part of Southern Seas 2026, a U.S. Southern Command initiative involving joint exercises and maritime engagements with countries across Latin America and the Caribbean.
The embassy also highlighted ongoing bilateral security cooperation under the U.S.-Guyana shiprider agreement, which allows Guyanese law enforcement officers to join U.S. vessels for counter-narcotics patrols and pursuits involving suspected traffickers entering Guyana’s waters.
Separately, the GDF and Brazil’s defense industry conducted a military flyby exercise on Sunday using Super Tucano aircraft to mark Guyana’s 60th Independence Anniversary.
According to a GDF advisory issued ahead of the exercise, the flyby took place between 13:30 hrs and 16:00 hrs across multiple parts of the country, including the coastland, the Essequibo corridor, Bartica, Linden, Corriverton, Canje and the vicinity of the Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara River bridge.
“The flyby forms part of the strong security cooperation between the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Federative Republic of Brazil,” the GDF said.
The Super Tucano is a light attack aircraft developed by Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer and is used across Latin America for border patrol, reconnaissance and counter-narcotics operations.
