U.S. Sends Largest Aircraft Carrier to South America to Combat Narcoterrorism

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is spearheading a naval strike force heading to the Caribbean as part of an intensified U.S. military presence aimed at combatting drug trafficking in the waters off South America. This deployment represents a significant escalation in U.S. efforts to counter transnational criminal organizations and narcoterrorism.

Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell announced that the fleet, directed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, will bolster efforts to curtail the influx of illicit drugs into the United States. The initiative aligns with the President’s directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) that engage in drug trafficking and other criminal activities affecting national security. The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group has been assigned to the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area of responsibility, enhancing capabilities in the region.

This growing military presence off the southern coasts is intended to reinforce existing efforts to disrupt drug trafficking and to degrade operations of TCOs. Parnell emphasized that these forces will augment current capabilities and contribute significantly to the safeguarding of American citizens.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy, is currently stationed in the Mediterranean Sea. The carrier is accompanied by five destroyers, with reports indicating that some of this fleet may be stationed in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea. The naval vessel is expected to take approximately one week to traverse the Atlantic Ocean and arrive at its new operational area. However, it remains uncertain whether the entire strike group will operate under the command of USSOUTHCOM.

The strike group comprises roughly 4,500 sailors and nine squadrons of aircraft, while an additional contingent of over 6,000 sailors and Marines, along with eight warships, is already deployed in the region. This enhanced military posture follows a series of lethal strikes targeting numerous vessels suspected of transporting drugs. In recent operations, the U.S. has conducted strikes on at least ten vessels, with reports indicating that six suspected narcotics traffickers were killed in an operation executed on Thursday night. This campaign has resulted in more than 40 fatalities associated with airstrikes aimed at disrupting drug operations.

The strategic significance of the USS Gerald R. Ford’s deployment underscores the U.S. commitment to tackling narcotics trafficking in a region that has become a focal point for drug-related violence and crime, aiming to enhance security for both domestic and international communities.

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