The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, photographed in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in 2023. US Naval Forces Central Command/Reuters
Based on data from CNN
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, currently based in Europe, to head to the Caribbean region amid a broad deployment of American forces in the area.
According to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell, the Gerald R. Ford strike group and the carrier air wing associated with it are heading “to eliminate transnational criminal organizations and counter narco-terrorism”.
The Ford group moored near the port of Split, Croatia, on October 21. This leaves the ships more than 5,000 miles from the Caribbean Sea, so it will take a few days for the group to be ready to launch strikes.
Route and Deployment of Forces
The deployment of U.S. forces raises questions about the administration’s intentions in the region. Officially, authorities say the military presence is part of a campaign against drug trafficking, but President Donald Trump also considered strikes against Venezuela as part of a broader strategy aimed at weakening the leader Nicolás Maduro.
Ford is described as a first-class ship; the Navy calls it one of the largest warships ever built.
On Friday morning, Hegseth said the United States carried out an overnight strike against a vessel that, he said, was run by a drug cartel and engaged in drug smuggling in the Caribbean region.
According to him, the strike killed six people; the total number of known attacked vessels stands at 10, and the death toll is 43 since the start of the campaign last month.
Current Status and Further Updates
This story is developing and will be updated.
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