(MENAFN) The USS Gerald R. Ford — the largest aircraft carrier ever built — entered the Caribbean Sea on Sunday, joining the Trump administration’s widening military operation against narcotics networks and transnational criminal groups, according to reports.

The move follows a directive issued by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to bolster President Donald Trump’s broader campaign to dismantle organizations Washington views as security threats. US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said the carrier’s arrival is intended to reinforce ongoing efforts in the region.

Carrying more than 4,000 personnel and a wide range of tactical aircraft, the Gerald R. Ford is set to coordinate with other US units already operating in the area, including the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and a marine expeditionary force. All of these elements fall under the recently formed Joint Task Force Southern Spear, which SOUTHCOM said is dedicated to undermining criminal networks.

The carrier is accompanied by its full strike group, which includes nine squadrons from Carrier Air Wing Eight, the guided-missile destroyers USS Bainbridge and USS Mahan, and the air defense command ship USS Winston S. Churchill.

Its deployment comes amid mounting friction with Venezuela. The United States began conducting strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean in September, later broadening operations into the Eastern Pacific by late October. Since the campaign began, at least 21 such actions have taken place, with a reported 82 fatalities.

SOUTHCOM oversees US military activity across 31 nations in Latin America and the Caribbean — a region officials describe as strategically important for continental stability and counter-trafficking missions.

MENAFN17112025000045017640ID1110352126