USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier enters Caribbean

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), Washington’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, entered the Caribbean Sea on November 16 after transiting the Anegada Passage, the US Navy announced.

According to the statement, the deployment to the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of responsibility follows an order from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to support the US president’s directive to “dismantle transnational criminal organizations and counter narco-terrorism,” Caliber.Az reports. 

“Through unwavering commitment and the precise use of our forces, we stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region,” said Adm. Alvin Holsey, Commander of SOUTHCOM. “The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group’s deployment represents a critical step in reinforcing our resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and the safety of the American Homeland.”

The strike group will integrate with US naval and marine units already operating in the Caribbean, including the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and its embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit, under Joint Task Force Southern Spear. The task force was established to counter criminal networks operating across regional maritime domains.

The USS Gerald R. Ford is carrying more than 4,000 sailors and aircraft from Carrier Air Wing Eight. The strike group also includes the guided-missile destroyers USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) and USS Mahan (DDG 72), and the command ship USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81).

The deployment follows several months of operations in the Atlantic and the US Sixth Fleet area, including participation in NATO’s Neptune Strike activities and port visits in Europe.

The Navy says nearly a dozen ships and around 12,000 personnel are currently involved in the mission.

In recent weeks, the United States has carried out at least 20 strikes on small boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, killing at least 80 people it has identified as “drug traffickers.” Washington has not publicly presented evidence to support those claims. Critics have described the actions as illegal extrajudicial killings.

By Sabina Mammadli