US Navy’s Largest Aircraft Carrier Arrives in Caribbean Under Southern Command

The largest US aircraft carrier in the world, the USS Gerald R. Ford, joined the US military deployment in the Caribbean on Tuesday in the area of responsibility of Southern Command.

According to authorities, the vessel’s arrival follows an order by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to support President Donald Trump’s mandate to “dismantle transnational criminal organizations and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the homeland”—actions being carried out near the coasts of Venezuela.

This deployment, said Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell in a statement, “will strengthen the US ability to detect, monitor and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the security and prosperity of the homeland.”

Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Now in U.S. Southern Command — USNI News https://t.co/k3t27wNWgO pic.twitter.com/X50J6rgD2R

— U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) November 11, 2025

The Gerald R. Ford arrives with more than 4,000 sailors and dozens of tactical aircraft on board. Authorities said the carrier can “simultaneously catapult, launch and recover fixed-wing aircraft on its flight deck, day or night, in support of assigned operations.”

Along with the Gerald R. Ford, “the carrier strike group brings additional capable, lethal and adaptable combat assets,” they added.

“Through unwavering commitment and the precise use of our forces, we are ready to combat transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region,” said US Southern Command chief Adm. Alvin Holsey.

UN Human Rights Chief: Strong Indications That US Strikes Are Extrajudicial Killings

Acts of aggression by the US

In August, the US deployed warships, a submarine, fighter jets and troops off Venezuela’s coast, ostensibly to combat drug trafficking. Since then, it has carried out multiple strikes against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, resulting in dozens of deaths.
Meanwhile, Washington accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, without evidence or substantiation, of leading an alleged drug cartel. As a result, US Attorney General Pam Bondi doubled the reward for information leading to his arrest.
In mid-October, Trump admitted authorizing the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuelan territory. Maduro responded: “Does anyone believe the CIA hasn’t been operating in Venezuela for 60 years? Does anyone believe the CIA hasn’t been conspiring against Commander [Hugo] Chávez and me for 26 years?”
Caracas has described Washington’s actions and pressure as acts of aggression, questioning the true purpose of the operations.
This view has also been expressed by Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, who told a Security Council meeting that US actions in the Caribbean are not ordinary military exercises but a “blatant campaign of political, military and psychological pressure against the government of an independent state.”
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, condemned the US bombings of small vessels, which have killed more than 60 people.
The attacks on small boats have also been criticized by the governments of Colombia, Mexico and Brazil, as well as UN experts, who described them as “summary executions” that violate international law.