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 strengthen operations under U.S. Southern Command. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on social media that the mission aims to detect and disrupt networks threatening U.S. security and prosperity.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, supported by five destroyers, currently operates in the Mediterranean Sea. Sending the carrier represents a sharp military escalation in a region already packed with U.S. naval forces across the Caribbean and off Venezuela’s coast.
Night Raids Mark New Phase in Anti-Drug Offensive
Hours before the deployment announcement, Hegseth revealed the military’s tenth strike on a suspected drug-trafficking vessel. The nighttime assault killed six people, increasing the total death toll to at least 43 since early September.
Officials identified the vessel as connected to the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, which Washington has labeled a foreign terrorist organization. Hegseth described the attack as the first conducted at night and vowed to pursue traffickers with the same intensity once used against Al-Qaeda.
“If you are smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will find you, hunt you down, and eliminate you,” Hegseth said.
Maduro Denounces U.S. Pressure as Power Display Grows
U.S. officials linked several targeted boats to Venezuela, accusing President Nicolás Maduro’s government of enabling narcotics networks. The U.S. military recently flew hypersonic bombers along Venezuela’s coastline, intensifying regional tension and speculation about intervention.
Maduro praised his armed forces and civilian militias for large-scale defense drills covering 2,000 kilometers of coastline. Speaking on state television, he claimed full real-time coverage of the nation’s borders. “Not war, just peace—forever,” Maduro declared, appearing to mock Trump’s threats.
Regional analysts say Washington’s campaign serves political goals beyond counter-narcotics. Elizabeth Dickinson of the International Crisis Group said, “Drugs are the excuse. Everyone knows it.” She added that U.S. actions signal a willingness to use force against leaders who refuse to align with American objectives.
Hegseth compared the anti-drug campaign to the post-9/11 war on terror. Trump designated cartels as unlawful combatants and said the U.S. was in armed conflict with them. When asked about a formal war declaration, Trump replied, “We’re just going to kill the people bringing drugs into our country—they’re going to be dead.”
