The authorities who promoted the measure emphasized that the increased presence of U.S. forces in the region will expand and strengthen existing capabilities to reduce and dismantle transnational networks dedicated to drug trafficking.
The powerful vessel is heading to the Caribbean to join the massive military operation against drug trafficking cartels
The authorities who promoted the measure emphasized that the increased presence of U.S. forces in the region will expand and strengthen existing capabilities to reduce and dismantle transnational networks dedicated to drug trafficking.
The USS Gerald R. Ford nuclear aircraft carrier, the largest and most powerful in the world, was deployed to the United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area of responsibility as part of a mega-operation ordered by the Government of Donald Trump to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and combat narco-terrorism in the Caribbean Sea.
According to the directive of the U.S. president, the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, ordered the deployment of the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group and the embarked air wing to the USSOUTHCOM AOR with the express purpose of strengthening the United States' ability to detect, monitor, and dismantle illicit actors and activities that pose a threat to the security and prosperity of U.S. territory and the stability of the Western Hemisphere.
The deployment includes, according to available information, the carrier's air platform, which can operate more than 75 aircraft, including fighter jets, helicopters, and drones, for patrol, surveillance, and attack missions if necessary.
The Gerald R. Ford is a 1,106-foot (337 meters) long vessel weighing about 220,462 pounds (100,000 tons), powered by two nuclear reactors and prepared to sustain intense air activity in support of multilateral and unilateral operations, in this case, against drug trafficking.
Meanwhile, in parallel with the arrival of the strike group, an attack was carried out during the early morning hours against a narco-boat in Caribbean waters. U.S. authorities confirmed that the operation took place in "international waters," where six narco-terrorists were killed, and the vessel was operating for the cartel known as Tren de Aragua.
The Secretary of Defense, in a statement on X, stated that intelligence services had evidence that the vessel was involved in drug smuggling and declared, "If you're a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we'll treat you the way we treat Al Qaeda."
The same official message added a warning: "We'll map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and eliminate you," thus authorities emphasized decisive actions at sea to strike the drug trafficking logistics chains.