The United States ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford to deploy near South America in a bold military expansion. The Pentagon confirmed the decision on Friday, marking another increase in U.S. presence across the Caribbean and Venezuelan waters.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth directed the aircraft carrier and its strike group to join U.S. Southern Command operations. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the move strengthens America’s ability to track and dismantle criminal networks threatening national security.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, supported by five destroyers, currently operates in the Mediterranean Sea. Its redeployment signals a sharp rise in U.S. military power in an already tense region.
Pentagon Expands Anti-Narcotics Campaign With Lethal Strikes
Before announcing the carrier’s movement, Hegseth confirmed the military’s tenth strike on a suspected drug-running vessel. The overnight assault killed six people and raised the death toll from September’s operations to at least 43.
Officials said the targeted boat belonged to the Tren de Aragua gang, a Venezuelan group labeled a foreign terrorist organization. Hegseth said the attack occurred in international waters and marked the first night strike of the mission.
He warned that U.S. forces would pursue narco-terrorists with the same intensity used against Al-Qaeda. “We will find you, track you, and eliminate you—day or night,” Hegseth declared.
Caracas Confronts Washington as Pressure Mounts
The Trump administration linked several targeted vessels to Venezuela and accused President Nicolás Maduro’s regime of aiding traffickers. U.S. bombers flew near Venezuela’s coast on Thursday, deepening fears of a broader conflict.
Maduro responded by ordering large-scale coastal defense exercises involving troops and civilian militias. He said Venezuelan forces secured the entire 2,000-kilometer coastline within six hours. On state television, Maduro rejected aggression, saying, “Not war—only peace, forever.”
Regional analysts view Washington’s campaign as politically driven. Elizabeth Dickinson of the International Crisis Group said, “Drugs are the excuse. Everyone knows the U.S. is sending a message.”
Hegseth compared the crackdown to America’s post-9/11 war on terror. Trump declared cartels unlawful combatants and said the U.S. is at war with them. Asked if he would seek congressional approval, Trump replied, “We’ll just kill those bringing drugs into our country—they’ll be dead.”
