USS Gerald R. Ford Arrives to Caribbean in Major Counter-Narcotics Operation

The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group entered the Caribbean Sea on Sunday, marking a significant escalation in U.S. military operations against transnational criminal organizations in the Western Hemisphere.

The deployment, which includes the world’s largest aircraft carrier and more than 4,000 sailors, follows Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s directive to support presidential orders aimed at dismantling drug trafficking networks and countering narco-terrorism. The strike group transited the Anegada Passage after completing a deployment that took it above the Arctic Circle and throughout the Mediterranean Sea.

The deployment comes as the State Department announced its intention to designate Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, effective November 24. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the cartel, allegedly headed by Nicolás Maduro and other Venezuelan regime officials, is responsible for terrorist violence throughout the hemisphere and drug trafficking into the United States and Europe.

The deployment has drawn attention following recent controversial military operations in the region. Since September, the administration has conducted 21 airstrikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, resulting in 83 deaths. These operations have been criticized for being carried out with limited evidence that the targeted boats were smuggling drugs.

“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 U.S. Southern Command. “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 carrier strike group will join existing forces in the Caribbean, including the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and an embarked marine expeditionary unit, as part of Joint Task Force Southern Spear. The operation is designed to detect, disrupt, and degrade transnational criminal and illicit maritime networks operating in the region.

“Our nation’s leaders have called upon the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group as the most capable, adaptable, and lethal platform in the world to be where it matters, when it matters,” said Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, commander of Carrier Strike Group 12.

The carrier strike group includes Carrier Air Wing Eight’s nine squadrons and three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers: USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan, and USS Winston S. Churchill. The Ford-class carrier can simultaneously launch and recover fixed-wing aircraft day or night, providing enhanced operational flexibility.

The Gerald R. Ford departed on deployment June 24, 2025, and arrived in the Southern Command area of responsibility after transiting the Strait of Gibraltar on November 4. During its deployment, the strike group participated in NATO’s Neptune Strike enhanced vigilance activities and conducted port calls in Croatia, France, Germany, Norway, and Spain.

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