DefenseUSS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier enters Caribbean
The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group entered US Southern Command’s area of responsibility in the Caribbean on November 11.
The deployment follows a directive from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to support President-led initiatives against transnational criminal organizations and narco-terrorism.
The group comprises the nuclear-powered USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), carrying more than 4,000 sailors and a complement of tactical aircraft including F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and F-35C Lightning IIs.
Additional elements include the Iwo Jima Amphibious Readiness Group and a Marine expeditionary unit, which together form a joint task force structure.
The US Navy has stated that the strike group was redeployed from Europe to the Caribbean to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and reinforce homeland defense.
The Ford-class carrier is the lead ship in its class and fields a mix of strike, electronic warfare, airborne early warning, and rotary aircraft.
The deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford was announced weeks ago, when the vessel left Europe to join the task force in the Caribbean.
Despite statements against drug trafficking, experts believe the real intention is to overthrow the government of dictator Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
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