Aircraft carrier strike group joins campaign against drug cartels
11 days ago
- #US Military
- #Caribbean
- #Drug Cartels
- The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group has arrived in the U.S. Southern Command area to assist in operations against Latin American drug cartels.
- The strike group includes three destroyers, augmenting the eight Navy surface ships already in the region, along with a submarine, reconnaissance aircraft, F-35 fighters, and Reaper drones.
- The Ford carries more than 60 aircraft that could be used against drug cartels, enhancing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking.
- The Trump administration has conducted 19 strikes against alleged drug-running boats, killing 76 people since September.
- The deployment includes 4,000 sailors and Marines, joining 10,000 troops already in the Caribbean.
- Critics question if the deployment is a show of force or targets Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro regime, though experts note most drugs enter the U.S. via Mexico and the Pacific.
- The administration has conducted bomber flights near Venezuela and special operations training exercises in international waters.