US Defense Secretary (Pentagon) Spokesperson Sean Parnell issued a written statement on the subject.
Announcing that the aircraft carrier fleet falls under the responsibility area of the US Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), Parnell said, “The increased US forces presence in USSOUTHCOM will enhance the capacity to detect, monitor, and deter illegal actors and activities that threaten US security and prosperity. These forces will develop existing capabilities to combat drug trafficking and neutralize and eliminate transnational criminal organizations.”
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group consists of over 4,000 sailors and 9 tactical air squadrons.
The Pentagon had announced that they sent the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group to the USSOUTHCOM responsibility area on October 24, citing the “fight against drug trafficking.”
US President Donald Trump had previously signed a decree instructing the military to be used more extensively and effectively in the ongoing fight against Latin American drug cartels.
In this context, the US sent a naval force consisting of submarines and warships to the waters off Venezuela at the end of August, and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated that the US military was prepared for operations, including regime change, in Venezuela.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro responded by mobilizing 4.5 million militia forces within the country and declared he was ready to repel any attack.
The US’s continued targeting of certain vessels near Venezuela on suspicions of drug trafficking has sparked criticism from both the Venezuelan government and the international community, with the attacks being defended as “illegal under international law.”
