Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday directed a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group to deploy to the Caribbean as tensions with Venezuela escalated over alleged narcotics trafficking operations.

The U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford, accompanied by several guided-missile destroyers and a submarine, was ordered to the region under the command of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM).

The deployment follows a series of operations led by the Trump administration targeting drug smuggling routes allegedly connected to Venezuelan networks.

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Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed the deployment in a statement posted on X, saying the move was designed to strengthen the U.S. military’s presence and operational capabilities in the region.

“The enhanced U.S. force presence in the USSOUTHCOM [Area of Responsibility] will 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,” Parnell said.

“These forces will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle transnational criminal organizations.”

STATEMENT:

In support of the President’s directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland, the Secretary of War has directed the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and embarked carrier air wing to the U.S.…

— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellASW) October 24, 2025

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The deployment marks one of the largest U.S. naval movements in the Caribbean in recent years and underscores the administration’s renewed focus on countering organized criminal operations linked to Venezuela and other regional actors.

Hegseth’s order came the same day the Pentagon confirmed a separate military engagement in the Caribbean.

According to Hegseth, U.S. forces struck a boat operated by members of the Tren de Aragua organization, a Venezuelan-based criminal network known for its involvement in drug trafficking and violent crimes across South America and the Caribbean.

The operation reportedly resulted in the deaths of six individuals described by the Pentagon as “narco-terrorists.”

No U.S. personnel were injured during the incident.

Overnight, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO), trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea.

The vessel was known by our… pic.twitter.com/lVlw0FLBv4

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 24, 2025

The strike on the Tren de Aragua vessel followed weeks of heightened intelligence activity in the region as U.S. agencies tracked increased trafficking movements tied to the group.

Defense officials said the operation was part of a broader campaign to intercept smuggling networks and prevent the transfer of narcotics into the United States.

USSOUTHCOM, headquartered in Doral, Florida, oversees U.S. military operations across Latin America and the Caribbean.

Its mission includes countering drug trafficking, supporting humanitarian efforts, and strengthening regional security partnerships.

Officials have not specified how long the Gerald R. Ford strike group will remain deployed, but defense analysts said the movement signals a clear deterrent message to Venezuela and other governments accused of facilitating or tolerating criminal enterprises in their territorial waters.

The deployment also comes amid renewed diplomatic tension between Washington and Caracas following reports of Venezuelan cooperation with foreign actors under U.S. sanctions.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly accused the Venezuelan government of turning a blind eye to drug smuggling operations and harboring criminal groups that pose threats to regional stability.

Defense Department sources said the strike group’s presence will support ongoing joint operations with regional allies, including Colombia and the Dominican Republic, aimed at intercepting narcotics shipments before they reach U.S. shores.

The U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford, commissioned in 2017, is the Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier.

Its deployment to the Caribbean reflects an intensified U.S. focus on maritime security and counter-narcotics enforcement in the Western Hemisphere.

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