U.S. Deploys Aircraft Carrier to Caribbean
The United States has deployed the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group to the Caribbean, citing the need to combat “narco-terrorism” and disrupt international crime networks, the Pentagon announced on Friday.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed via X that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the redeployment of the Gerald R. Ford strike group from the Mediterranean to the U.S. Southern Command’s jurisdiction.
In accordance with the President’s directive to defend the nation by dismantling transnational criminal organizations and combating narco-terrorism, Secretary Hegseth has directed the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and its air wing to move into the U.S. Southern Command area of operations.
— Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell
The Gerald R. Ford and accompanying naval assets are expected to reach assigned positions in the Caribbean in the coming days, according to defense officials.
Focus on the Caribbean
The redeployment follows President Donald Trump’s earlier executive order directing the U.S. military to play a greater role in counter-narcotics missions in Latin America. Washington has long accused regional cartels of fueling drug trafficking routes that impact the U.S. mainland.
The Gerald R. Ford strike group’s presence marks one of the largest U.S. naval deployments to the Caribbean in recent years, signaling a tougher stance on organized crime networks operating across the region.