U.S. Deploys Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to Latin America Amid Rising Tensions With Venezuela

Key Facts

Published: October 26, 2025 Location: Washington D.C. Source: Epoch Times, Washington Times, Wire Services

• The Pentagon has deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to Latin America to combat drug trafficking and narco-terrorism.
• The move follows 10 lethal U.S. strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
• Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro accused the U.S. of preparing for war
• his forces are now on high alert.
• President Trump said the campaign may expand to land-based targets, without seeking a formal declaration of war.

by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – The Pentagon has ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group–the world’s largest and most advanced warship–to Latin America in what officials describe as an expanded mission to counter drug trafficking but which analysts say marks a sharp escalation in tensions with Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro regime.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed Friday that the deployment follows President Donald Trump’s directive to “dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland.”

“The Secretary of War has directed the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and embarked carrier air wing to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility,” Parnell said, referring to the command that oversees U.S. military operations across Central and South America and the Caribbean.

Expanding U.S. Presence in the Region

The Ford Strike Group’s deployment adds significant U.S. firepower to an already sizable naval buildup in the Southern Command theater.

In recent weeks, the United States has positioned three guided missile destroyers, a guided missile cruiser, a fast-attack submarine, and a littoral combat ship across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific waters.

An amphibious ready group–featuring two transport dock ships, an amphibious assault ship, and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit–is also operating in the region, capable of launching helicopters and AV-8B Harrier jets.

Additional assets include 10 F-35B Lightning II stealth fighters, Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones, and AC-130J Ghostrider gunships.

The Ford’s carrier air wing, based around three squadrons of F/A-18 Super Hornet fighters and E/A-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, will “enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs,” Parnell said.

Series of Lethal Strikes on Drug Boats

Since September, U.S. forces have conducted at least 10 lethal strikes on vessels suspected of trafficking narcotics. The Pentagon confirmed an additional strike last week that destroyed a “drug-smuggling boat” in the Caribbean, killing six suspected traffickers.

President Trump has described the campaign as a “war on narco-terrorism,” targeting what he called “unlawful combatants” connected to foreign terrorist organizations.

Among those is Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang designated as a terrorist entity earlier this year. Trump said the group operates “under the control of Nicolás Maduro.”

The Department of Justice recently raised the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million. The Venezuelan president faces U.S. indictments on drug trafficking charges, which he denies.

Rising Friction With Maduro and Colombia

Venezuelan officials have accused Washington of preparing for an invasion under the pretext of anti-drug operations.
Maduro, speaking on state television Friday night, called the carrier deployment proof that Trump is “fabricating a new eternal war.”

“Venezuela is a country that does not produce coca leaves,” he said, insisting the operation was politically motivated. His defense minister, Vladimir Padrino López, declared that the nation’s armed forces “are ready to defend every inch of our sovereignty.”

U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers conducted a show-of-force mission over the Caribbean last week, flying near Venezuelan airspace in what Washington called a “bomber attack demonstration.”

Relations have also deteriorated with Colombia’s leftist president, Gustavo Petro, who accused U.S. forces of killing a fisherman during a September naval strike. Trump retaliated by labeling Petro an “illegal drug leader” and announcing new tariffs on Colombian imports.

Strategic Implications

The Gerald R. Ford, accompanied by up to five guided missile destroyers, is expected to take one to two weeks to cross the Atlantic from Split, Croatia, where it was last seen in port.

Analysts say its arrival will represent the largest U.S. carrier presence in the Caribbean in decades.

The move underscores the Trump administration’s widening interpretation of the global war on drugs. In early October, the White House notified Congress that U.S. forces were engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” against designated cartels and criminal networks across Latin America.

At a recent White House press conference, President Trump signaled that future strikes could extend from sea-based operations to land-based targets.

“I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war,” he said. “We’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country.”

With both Venezuelan and U.S. forces on heightened alert, military observers warn that the Caribbean could become a flashpoint between Washington and Caracas unseen since the Cold War.

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