Aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) entered the Caribbean Sea on Sunday, according to a statement from Carrier Strike Group 12.
The carrier and the embarked Carrier Air Wing 8 sailed south through the Anegada Passage east of Puerto Rico on Sunday as part of the newly named Operation Southern Spear, according to the statement.
The Ford Carrier Strike Group has been tasked, “to support the President’s directive to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the homeland,” according to the statement.
On Saturday, ahead of Ford’s arrival, U.S. forces, at the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, conducted a “lethal kinetic strike” on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific that the U.S. Southern Command said was operated by a designated terrorist group. The strike, the 21st such one, killed three people.
The Southern Command post on X did not say which organization operated the vessel nor did it specify what narcotics the boat was suspected of carrying.
The strikes have now killed 83 people.
The Trump administration has blamed state support from the Maduro regime in Venezuela as enabling the narcotics trade amid a massing of forces in the region.
“Through unwavering commitment and the precise use of our forces, we stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region,” said U.S. Southern Command commander Adm. Alvin Holsey. “The [Ford] Carrier Strike Group’s deployment represents a critical step in reinforcing our resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and the safety of the American Homeland.”
Last week, Ford and guided-missile destroyer escorts USS Bainbridge (DDG-96), USS Mahan (DDG-72) and USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG-81) entered U.S. Southern Command and had been operating north of Puerto Rico before transitioning into the Caribbean.
During its transit across the Atlantic toward Latin American waters, the Pentagon published photos of F/A-18 fighters from Ford operating with a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress long-range bomber.
The rare deployment of a carrier strike group to SOUTHCOM comes as the U.S. has massed forces in the Caribbean that include USS Stockdale (DDG-106) and USS Gravely (DDG-107), guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70) and amphibious warships USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7), USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) and USS San Antonio (LPD-17) are also operating in U.S. Southern Command. The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group is sailing with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Force embarked.
In addition, the Pentagon has begun refurbishing the former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, after shuttering the base more than 20 years ago. A squadron of Air Force F-35A Lighting II Joint Strike Fighters are now operating from the U.S. territory, according to local reports.
The retasking of Ford comes in parallel with the ongoing campaign of U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of transporting narcotics to the U.S.
On Friday, Reuters reported White House met to discuss military options for Venezuela that included land strikes.
During a gaggle with reporters on Friday, President Donald Trump said, “I can’t tell you what it would be, but I sort of made up my mind on Venezuela.”
No comments:
Post a Comment