WASHINGTON — The nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, arrived in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday in a clear display of U.S. military power. This deployment raises questions about what the new influx of troops and weaponry could signal regarding the Trump administration’s intentions in South America, especially as it conducts military strikes against vessels suspected of transporting drugs.
The arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford, along with other warships, was announced by the Navy in a statement and marks a significant moment in what the administration insists is a counterdrug operation. However, many view it as an escalating pressure tactic against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The Ford completes the largest buildup of U.S. firepower in the region in generations. With its arrival, the “Operation Southern Spear” mission now includes nearly a dozen Navy ships and about 12,000 sailors and Marines.
The carrier’s arrival coincided with the military’s announcement of its latest deadly strike on a small boat it claims was engaged in ferrying illegal drugs. The military’s Southern Command posted a video on X on Sunday showing the boat being destroyed. The attack, which took place Saturday in international waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean, reportedly killed three men. Requests for more information from the military were not immediately answered.
Since early September, similar strikes by the U.S. in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have killed at least 83 people in 21 attacks.
The carrier strike group, which includes squadrons of fighter jets and guided-missile destroyers, transited the Anegada Passage near the British Virgin Islands on Sunday morning, the Navy said.
Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, who commands the strike group, stated that the deployment will bolster an already large force of American warships to “protect our nation’s security and prosperity against narco-terrorism in the Western Hemisphere.”
Adm. Alvin Holsey, the commander overseeing the Caribbean and Latin America, said in a statement that American forces “stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region.” Holsey, who will retire next month after just one year on the job, described the strike group’s deployment as “a critical step in reinforcing our resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and the safety of the American Homeland.”
In Trinidad and Tobago, which lies only seven miles from Venezuela at its closest point, government officials announced that troops have begun “training exercises” with the U.S. military. These exercises are set to run through much of the week.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Sean Sobers described the joint exercises as the second in less than a month and emphasized that they aim to tackle violent crime on the island nation, which has become a known stopover point for drug shipments headed to Europe and North America. The prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago has been a vocal supporter of the U.S. military strikes.
The ongoing exercises will include Marines from the 22nd Expeditionary Unit, who have been stationed aboard the Navy ships that have been looming off Venezuela’s coast for months.
Venezuela’s government has condemned the training exercises as an act of aggression but had no immediate comment on Sunday regarding the arrival of the aircraft carrier.
Meanwhile, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said Sunday that U.S. troops have been training in Panama, underscoring the administration’s increasing focus on Latin America.
“We’re reactivating our jungle school in Panama. We would be ready to act on whatever” directives President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth may issue, Driscoll told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
The deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford and the expanded military activities in the Caribbean and Latin America highlight the Trump administration’s heightened commitment to combating drug trafficking and addressing regional security challenges.
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