WASHINGTON, April 24 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. navy will re-establish its 4th Fleet, disbanded in 1950, to oversee ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the Caribbean and Latin American, the Pentagon said Thursday.

    Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, current commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, will lead the fleet effective July 1, Admiral Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, said in a Pentagon statement.

    The fleet will coordinate efforts with the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, based in Mayport, Florida.

    It is not clear how many ships and personnel will be designated to the new fleet, but it will include a nuclear aircraft carrier, Pentagon sources said.

    The move will "increases our emphasis in the region on employing naval forces to build confidence and trust among nations through collective maritime security efforts that focus on common threats and mutual interests," Roughead said.

    The decision is part of the efforts of the U.S. navy to strengthen its presence in Latin America and Caribbean as South American nations, including Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador, boost military spending.

    The former 4th Fleet was an important U.S. sea operation during World War II and was disbanded in the 1950s.

    The U.S. navy currently has five fleets, comprising the 2nd Fleet covering Atlantic, the 3rd Fleet for the eastern and northern Pacific, the 5th Fleet for the Gulf, the 6th Fleet for the Mediterranean and the 7th Fleet for the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean.