Ford carrier adds to U.S. military buildup near Venezuela
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The U.S. Navy's Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, including the flagship USS Gerald R. Ford, front, operates as a joint, multi-domain force with a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress on Nov. 13. Photo: Gladjimi Balisage/US Navy via Getty Images
The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, joined other U.S. military in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday, as U.S. officials announced what's believed to be the 21st strike on an alleged drug boat.
Why it matters: The increased activity in the region comes after President Trump told reporters Friday that he'd "sort of have made up my mind" on how to proceed with Venezuela, but "can't tell you what it would be."
- Trump told reporters on Sunday there was "no update on Venezuela," but he added "we may be having some discussions" with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro "and we'll see how that turns out — but they would like to talk."
- The Trump administration is ratcheting up the diplomatic pressure on Maduro, with the State Department announcing Sunday night that it's declaring the Cartel de los Soles — an alleged drug gang the Trump administration claims Maduro runs — a foreign terrorist organization.
Driving the news: U.S. Southern Command, which would oversee operations in Venezuela, is executing Trump's strikes and is a leader of the newly launched Operation Southern Spear, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said would target "narco-terrorists" and shield the U.S. from deadly drugs, per Axios' Colin Demarest.
- "The maritime forces' operations" in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility come after Hegseth "directed the Carrier Strike Group to support the President's directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland," per a SOUTHCOM statement Sunday.
- SOUTHCOM Cmdr. Adm. Alvin Holsey said in a statement, "The USS Gerald R. 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."
Meanwhile, SOUTHCOM announced on social media Sunday that it had struck another suspected drug boat a day earlier.
State of play: Hegseth announced Operation Southern Spear on Thursday, which SOUTHCOM said in its statement was "established to defeat and dismantle criminal networks that exploit our shared borders and maritime domains."
- The newly deployed carrier strike group will join joint forces already in the Caribbean Sea as part of the operation's joint task force.
- "With more than 4,000 Sailors and dozens of tactical aircraft aboard, Gerald R. Ford provides combatant commanders and America's civilian leaders increased capacity to project power through sustained operations at sea," SOUTHCOM's statement said.
- "The first-in-class carrier can simultaneously catapult launch and recover fixed-wing aircraft on its flight deck, day or night, in support of tasked operations."
- It was not immediately clear what, if any, action Trump has decided to take against Venezuela.
What they're saying: In its Sunday night statement designating Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist group, the State Department said: "The United States will continue using all available tools to protect our national security interests and deny funding and resources to narco-terrorists."
- Representatives for the White House, Pentagon and SOUTHCOM did not immediately respond to Axios' Sunday evening request for comment on the next steps of the military buildup.
Go deeper: Trump's Venezuela strike strategy losing Republican support
Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional details throughout.
