The U.S. military ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford to deploy off the coast of South America in a new show of strength. The Pentagon confirmed the move on Friday, marking another step in a steady buildup across the Caribbean and waters surrounding Venezuela.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth directed the carrier and its strike group to join U.S. Southern Command operations. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the mission aims to track, monitor, and disrupt criminal networks threatening U.S. security.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, operating with five destroyers, currently patrols the Mediterranean Sea. Sending a carrier into the region signals a sharp rise in American military presence and intent.
Night Raids Target Narco Gangs at Sea
Hours before confirming the deployment, Hegseth announced the tenth U.S. strike on a suspected smuggling vessel. The nighttime operation killed six people and raised the total death toll since September to at least 43.
Officials linked the boat to the Tren de Aragua gang, a Venezuelan network now listed as a foreign terrorist organization. Hegseth called the mission the first night strike of the campaign and promised that U.S. forces would treat drug traffickers as they do Al-Qaeda.
He vowed to “map networks, hunt their people, and destroy them—day or night.”
Caracas Braces as U.S. Pressure Intensifies
The Trump administration accused President Nicolás Maduro’s government of sheltering traffickers and claimed several targeted boats came from Venezuela. U.S. forces recently flew hypersonic bombers along the Venezuelan coast, further escalating tensions.
Maduro responded by mobilizing security units and militias to defend more than 2,000 kilometers of coastline. He said the entire area was secured in real time, with full military readiness. “Not war, not war—just peace, forever,” he declared on state television.
Analysts warned that Washington’s actions go beyond drug enforcement. Elizabeth Dickinson of the International Crisis Group said, “Drugs are the excuse. The U.S. wants to send a message of control.”
Hegseth compared the anti-cartel effort to the U.S. war on terror. Trump labeled cartels unlawful combatants and declared armed conflict against them. When asked if he would seek Congress’s approval, he replied, “We’re just going to kill the people bringing drugs into our country—they’re going to be dead.”
