The Pentagon confirmed on Friday that the U.S. military will send the USS Gerald R. Ford to waters off South America. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the deployment to support U.S. Southern Command operations. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the move on social media, saying it aims to detect and disrupt criminal networks threatening U.S. security and prosperity.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, accompanied by five destroyers, is currently operating in the Mediterranean Sea. Deploying an aircraft carrier marks a significant escalation in a region already witnessing a major U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean and near Venezuela.
U.S. Intensifies Strikes on Drug Smugglers
Hours before confirming the deployment, Hegseth announced the tenth U.S. strike on a suspected drug-running vessel. The operation killed six people, bringing the total death toll since early September to at least 43. Officials identified the targeted boat as belonging to the Tren de Aragua gang, a Venezuelan criminal group.
Hegseth said the strike took place in international waters and marked the first nighttime attack of the campaign. He declared that U.S. forces would treat drug traffickers like terrorist groups, vowing to track and eliminate them anywhere.
Rising Tensions With Venezuela and Regional Fallout
The Trump administration linked several intercepted vessels to Venezuela, accusing President Nicolás Maduro’s regime of enabling narco-terror operations. U.S. officials also designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization. On Thursday, the U.S. military flew two hypersonic bombers along Venezuela’s coast, escalating tensions further.
Maduro responded by mobilizing security forces and civilian militias along 2,000 kilometers of coastline. He claimed full defensive coverage of Venezuelan territory in real time. On state television, he rejected U.S. aggression, repeating, “Not war, just peace—forever.”
Regional analysts, including Elizabeth Dickinson of the International Crisis Group, said Washington’s military buildup sends a political message. “Drugs are the excuse,” she said. “The U.S. is signaling it will use military power to pressure leaders who resist its goals.”
Hegseth compared the anti-cartel operations to America’s post-9/11 war on terror. Trump declared drug cartels unlawful combatants and said the U.S. was in armed conflict with them. Asked if he would seek a congressional war declaration, Trump replied, “We’re just going to kill the people bringing drugs into our country—they’re going to be dead.”
