Days after a US Air Force RC-135V/W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft carried out a signals intelligence (SIGINT) operation over cartel-controlled areas in Baja California, the US Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz (CVN 68), was spotted off Mexico’s northern coast on Wednesday afternoon.
According to Bloomberg ship tracking data, the USS Nimitz is transiting international waters off the coast of Punta Colonet, located in the northern section of Baja California. The vessel is currently underway at a speed of 8.8 knots.
The USS Nimitz has no scheduled port calls, and it remains unclear whether the vessel is involved in the Trump administration’s efforts to combat drug cartels (now labeled “foreign terrorists”) or if it will transit the Panama Canal for deployment elsewhere.
On Monday, flight tracking data showed a USAF RC-135V/W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft conducted a SIGINT operation near cartel-controlled Baja California Sur.