The U.S. Pentagon announced the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford to bolster anti-drug trafficking operations in Caribbean waters on Friday.
Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell iterated that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has ordered the Carrier Strike Group, previously dispatched to the Mediterranean during heightened tensions in the Middle East, to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility in the South Caribbean, to “dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland.”
The shift of the USS Gerald R. Ford – the world’s largest aircraft carrier – is part of a larger military build-up in Caribbean waters that began in early August, to crack down on the flow of illicit drug trafficking in the region, where distribution is often destined for U.S. shores.
The announcement for the deployment of additional U.S. assets to the region comes in the wake of increased strikes on suspected drug boats in Caribbean waters, where the total kill count is believed to have reached 43 in nearly a dozen strikes.
The strikes have caused controversy on Capitol Hill, where Democrats, including some Republicans, have raised concerns over executive overreach and a lack of oversight from Congress.
Legislators in Washington accuse the Trump administration of side-stepping the coequal branch of government on Capitol Hill and refusing to provide sufficient details on targeted U.S. military operations in the region.
The latest strike on suspected “narco-terrorists” was shared by Secretary Hegseth on Friday morning, featuring a speedboat, similarly depicting several high-powered engines, suddenly splintering into fragments beneath a violent ball of fire.
According to Secretary Hegseth, the vessel was affiliated with the notorious drug trafficking organization, Tren de Aragua, also noting that the strike killed all six passengers on board, and that no U.S. servicemembers were killed in the operation.
Additionally, the USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, will be stationed in Trinidad & Tobago from Oct. 26-30, and will dock in the capital of Port of Spain, that nation’s foreign minister says.
The flagship Gerald Ford is expected to arrive in Caribbean waters this coming week to support operations in the region.
