(MENAFN) The USS Gerald R. Ford, recognized as the world’s largest aircraft carrier, reached the Caribbean Sea on Sunday as part of the Trump administration’s broadening military effort aimed at combating drug trafficking and transnational criminal groups.

This deployment comes in line with instructions from US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who sought to bolster President Donald Trump’s drive to dismantle criminal networks perceived as threats to US security, according to US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).

Hosting over 4,000 sailors and numerous tactical aircraft, the carrier will coordinate with established US forces in the region, including the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and a marine expeditionary unit.

All units are functioning under the recently formed Joint Task Force Southern Spear, which focuses on disrupting criminal organizations, the command reported.

The Gerald R. Ford is accompanied by its strike group, which includes nine squadrons from Carrier Air Wing Eight, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Bainbridge and USS Mahan, and the air defense command vessel USS Winston S. Churchill.

The deployment occurs amid rising tensions with Venezuela. US military measures targeting alleged drug trafficking in the Caribbean began in September with a strike on a Venezuelan speedboat, eventually extending operations to the Eastern Pacific by late October.

Since the campaign’s inception, at least 21 operations against drug traffickers have been executed, resulting in 82 fatalities.

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