The move comes as popularly elected leftist regimes, including that of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, pose a growing challenge to US influence in Latin America.

Beginning July 1, the fleet will have operational responsibility over navy ships assigned to the region from the US Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, the navy said.

Admiral Gary Roughead, the chief of naval operations, said the decision to establish a separate fleet for the region "recognizes the immense importance of maritime security in the southern part of the Western Hemisphere."

"This change 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," he said.

The navy said they will conduct contingency operations, counter "narcoterrorism" operations, and military-to-military interactions and training with countries in the region.

Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, who currently commands the navy's special warfare units, will command the fleet.

The Fourth Fleet was a major US navy command during World War II when it was used to enforce blockades and protect against enemy submarines and raiders, but was eliminated in the 1950s.

It joins five other numbered fleets.

The US Second Fleet is responsible for the Atlantic; the Third Fleet for the eastern and northern Pacific; the Fifth Fleet for the Gulf; the Sixth Fleet for the Mediterannean; and the Seventh Fleet for the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean.

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