The U.S. military ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford to move toward South American waters in a significant show of strength. The Pentagon confirmed the deployment on Friday as part of an expanding buildup in the Caribbean and off Venezuela’s coast.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth directed the carrier and its strike group to operate under U.S. Southern Command. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the mission will detect, monitor, and dismantle criminal networks that threaten American security and prosperity.
The USS Gerald R. Ford currently operates in the Mediterranean alongside five destroyers. The move signals a major escalation of U.S. power in an already heavily militarized region.
Night Raids Target Smugglers Linked to Venezuelan Gang
Hours before confirming the carrier’s movement, Hegseth announced a tenth U.S. strike on a suspected drug-running boat. The attack killed six people and raised the total death toll to at least 43 since early September.
Officials identified the vessel as belonging to the Tren de Aragua gang, a group originally formed inside a Venezuelan prison. Hegseth said the strike occurred in international waters and marked the campaign’s first nighttime assault.
He warned traffickers that the U.S. would treat them like terrorist networks. “We will map your routes, track your people, and destroy your operations,” he said.
Regional Tensions Rise as Caracas Pushes Back
Washington linked several destroyed boats to Venezuela, accusing President Nicolás Maduro’s government of aiding narcoterror operations. The U.S. also designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization. On Thursday, U.S. hypersonic bombers flew along Venezuela’s coast, further increasing tension.
Maduro praised national forces for coastal defense exercises covering 2,000 kilometers of shoreline. He claimed Venezuela stood fully prepared to repel any attack. “Not war—just peace, forever,” Maduro said, mocking Trump’s aggressive stance.
Regional analysts believe the buildup carries political motives beyond drug control. Elizabeth Dickinson of the International Crisis Group said, “Everyone knows drugs are the excuse. The real goal is to pressure governments to align with U.S. policy.”
Hegseth compared the anti-drug campaign to America’s post-9/11 war on terror. Trump called drug cartels unlawful combatants and declared an armed conflict against them. When asked if he would seek a formal war declaration, Trump said, “We’re just going to kill the people bringing drugs into our country—they’ll be dead.”
