Yesterday at 2:00 pm, with collaboration and approval from the Government of Guyana, two U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornets, from the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, conducted a Guyana Defence Force-coordinated and approved flyover of Georgetown and its surrounding areas.
There were reverberating booms all over the city yesterday as the aircraft flew low in a display that left some baffled and unnerved as fighter planes low in the sky are not a common occurrence here.
A release from the US Embassy said that this exercise built upon the routine security cooperation and bilateral defence partnership with Guyana.
“As part of its worldwide defense mission, U.S. Navy vessels routinely transit international waters all over the world conducting similar exercises and exchanges with partners and allies”, the release said.
The flyover came amid ongoing signs of aggression by Venezuela over its claim to Guyana’s county of Essequibo.
In its statement, the Government of Guyana said it had approved the flyover of the F/A-18F Super Hornets.
The exercise is being conducted as part of the defense cooperation pact between Guyana and the United States of America and seeks to deepen the ongoing security cooperation programme between our two countries.
The flyover came as the aircraft carrier George Washington wends its way to Japan via the Cape Horn at the southern tip of South America.
Between May 6 and 8, Guyana hosted US Marine Corps Major General Julie Nethercot in what Washington said is a sign of its commitment to partnering with the GDF and significantly her directorate addresses matters such as deterring aggression and defeating threats.
Nethercot, the US Southern Command Strategy, Policy, and Plans Director met with Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Chief of Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan to discuss ongoing security cooperation and security assistance initiatives to advance technology platforms. A statement on Wednesday from the US Embassy said this visit is her second to Guyana and “signifies the U.S. commitment to partnering with the GDF as it continues to increase its capabilities and expand its force”.
The visit will be seen here as part of a series of measures being taken by Washington to deter Venezuelan aggression over its claim to Guyana’s Essequibo. In the past year, Guyana has seen a series of high-level visits from the US State Department and the US Southern Command.
The statement from the US Embassy said that the Strategy, Policy, and Plans Directorate at US Southern Command oversees strategic planning, policy development and security cooperation coordination for Latin America and the Caribbean.
“The Directorate directly supports U.S. Southern Command’s goals and objectives in deterring aggression, defeating threats, rapidly responding to crises, and working with allies and partner nations to strengthen the region’s capacity to ensure a secure, free, and prosperous Western Hemisphere. MajGen Nethercot’s visit to Guyana underscores the continued importance and unwavering commitment the United States places on the U.S.-Guyana bilateral defense and security partnership”, the statement said.
