(MENAFN) The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, along with its strike group, entered the US Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) operational area on Tuesday, as tensions with Venezuela intensify.

Reports indicate the deployment aligns with Pentagon directives aimed at supporting President Donald Trump’s campaign to dismantle transnational criminal networks and counter narco-terrorism threatening regional and US security.

“The enhanced US force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster US capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere,” said chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.

“These forces will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations."

The strike group, comprising over 4,000 sailors and nine tactical air squadrons, will coordinate with existing US forces in the area, including the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and its Marine Expeditionary Unit, under a Joint Task Force focused on combating criminal networks throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

"Through unwavering commitment and the precise use of our forces, we stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region," stated Adm. Alvin Holsey, Commander of SOUTHCOM.

In addition to the carrier, the strike group includes nine squadrons from Carrier Air Wing Eight, Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) and USS Mahan (DDG 72), and the integrated air and missile defense ship USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), providing substantial operational and defensive capabilities.

SOUTHCOM is responsible for US military operations across 31 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, a region deemed strategically important for maintaining stability and countering illicit trafficking.

MENAFN12112025000045017640ID1110330868