𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group has docked in the U.S. Southern Command area of operations, north of the Caribbean, as part of a Trump administration initiative against drug cartels, confirmed by the Navy’s Fourth Fleet on Tuesday.

The deployment of the carrier was announced on 24 Oct., during a port call in Croatia. Billed as “the most capable, adaptable, and lethal combat platform in the world” by the U.S. Navy, the USS Gerald R Ford is a formidable force.

With over 60 aircraft that could be deployed against drug cartels, the Ford carries a significant arsenal. The Ford strike group, which includes 4,000 sailors and Marines, joins the 10,000 troops already stationed in the Caribbean, reports the Express US.

‘Killing these cartel terrorists,’ says Secretary of War

Trump has ramped up pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro through a relentless anti-cartel campaign that has seen a staggering 19 high-profile airstrikes targeting alleged cartel drug boats operating off the Venezuelan coast, resulting in the deaths of 75 people, as reported by npr.org. Only three individuals are said to have survived the onslaught.

Trump steadfastly asserts that these vessels are operated by “narco-terrorists” responsible for orchestrated drug smuggling and other criminal activities within the United States, using this as justification for extra-judicial action.

The most recent wave of strikes was carried out on Sunday under the direct orders of President Donald Trump, as confirmed by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. “These vessels were known by our intelligence to be associated with illicit narcotics smuggling, were carrying narcotics, and were transiting along a known narco-trafficking transit route in the Eastern Pacific,” Hegseth stated unequivocally.

He continued with a resolute message: “Under President Trump, we are protecting the homeland and killing these cartel terrorists who wish to harm our country and its people.”

Dubbed the ‘world’s newest and largest aircraft carrier’

The USS Gerald R Ford, considered the world’s newest and largest aircraft carrier, is the first ship in a new class of aircraft carriers named after former President Gerald R. Ford, who served on a carrier during World War II.

It was commissioned in 2017, during a ceremony overseen by President Trump in his first term.

The Ford-class group, with a displacement of approximately 100,000 tons, is larger than its predecessor, the Nimitz-class, although it accommodates between 500 and 900 fewer crew members.

The Gerald R. Ford-class carriers boast 23 upgraded systems compared to the Nimitz-class carriers, with a length of 333m, a beam of 40.8m, and a flight deck width of 78m.

They are designed to carry up to 90 aircraft of various types, including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft, MH-60R/S helicopters, as well as unmanned air and combat vehicles.

Like all other U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, the Ford class is powered by nuclear reactors and carries a hefty price tag of about $13 billion to build, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Strike group

The Ford and its three accompanying warships arrived in the region on Tuesday, the Navy confirmed. In an earlier statement, the Navy revealed that the Ford deployed with five guided-missile destroyers.

When deployed alongside a carrier, destroyers typically serve in a protective role, keeping a vigilant eye for incoming enemy ships, aircraft, missiles, drones, and submarines, and launching attacks when necessary.

Collectively, the Navy refers to the Ford and its escort ships as Carrier Strike Group 12.

The Ford’s air wing is made up of four squadrons of F/A-18 Super Hornets, capable of engaging enemy aircraft and striking ground targets; one squadron of EA-18G Growlers, a specialised Super Hornet variant used for jamming enemy communications and conducting air and ground attacks; two helicopter squadrons; and a detachment of propeller-driven E-2 Hawkeye early-warning aircraft and C-2 Greyhound cargo planes.