Trump orders deployment of top US aircraft carrier to increase pressure on Venezuela’s government
The deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group comes “in support of the president’s directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narcoterrorism in defense of the homeland,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.
Aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford
The Pentagon confirmed Friday the deployment of an aircraft carrier and its corresponding fleet to combat drug trafficking in South America, signaling a sharp increase in military presence in the region.
The deployment of the aircraft carrier strike group USS Gerald R. Ford comes “in support of the president’s directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narcoterrorism in defense of the homeland,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on X.
War Department announced that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its Carrier Strike Group, consisting of the Arleigh Burke-Class guided-missile destroyers; USS Mahan (DDDG-72), USS Winston S. Churchill (DDDG-81), and USS Bainbridge (DDG-96), have been redirected from the Mediterranean Sea to the Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of responsibility near Venezuela.
The Ford will join the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) Iwo Jima and other air and naval assets already deployed in the southern Caribbean and around Puerto Rico.
Features of USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)
- Air capability: up to 90 aircraft, including F/A-18 fighters, helicopters and drones.
- Crew: more than 4.500 sailors and aircrew.
- Advanced technology: electromagnetic catapults (EMALS) for launching aircraft and state-of-the-art radar and defense systems
- Dimensions: More than 1,000 feet long and more than 100,000 tons displacement.
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