The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group has entered the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility, which includes the Caribbean, to support operations against transnational criminal organisations and narco-terrorism.
The U.S. Navy confirmed the world’s largest aircraft carrier and its accompanying vessels arrived in the Fourth Fleet today, following a directive from Secretary of War Pete Hegseth under the President’s orders to strengthen defence of the American homeland.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the increased presence would “bolster U.S. 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.”
“These forces will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations,” he said.
The strike group, comprising more than 4,000 sailors and dozens of tactical aircraft, enhances U.S. capability to project power and sustain operations at sea. The carrier can simultaneously launch and recover fixed-wing aircraft, day or night, in support of assigned missions.
The Gerald R. Ford group will operate alongside existing joint forces in the region, including the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and its embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit, under a Joint Task Force established to counter criminal networks across maritime domains.
“Through unwavering commitment and the precise use of our forces, we stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilise our region,” said Adm. Alvin Holsey, Commander of U.S. Southern Command. “The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group’s deployment represents a critical step in reinforcing our resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and the safety of the American homeland.”
The strike group includes the carrier’s nine embarked squadrons from Carrier Air Wing Eight and three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers: USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan, and USS Winston S. Churchill, which also leads the group’s air and missile defence operations.
The U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility covers 31 countries and 12 territories across Latin America and the Caribbean. U.S. military forces in the region are deployed in support of the Southern Command’s mission to counter drug trafficking and protect the homeland.
