THE Pentagon has sent the largest aircraft carrier in the world to Venezuela as part of a growing effort to eliminate criminal networks in the Caribbean.
The Navy’s highly advanced Gerald R Ford Carrier Strike Group is joining the ring of steel after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth vowed to hunt narco-terrorist organizations “like Al Qaeda.”
On Friday, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell announced the update, saying it was in support of a presidential directive to “dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations” (TCOs) and “counter narco-terrorism.”
He said the carrier group is joining a southern command center to “bolster US capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland.”
“These forces will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs,” he said.
Trump has ordered the military to conduct lethal strikes off the coast of Venezuela in recent weeks, as he says it’s a hotbed for drug traffickers who are bringing contraband into the US.
He insists that the US military can target criminal organizations without inciting war with the southern nation.
“I’m not going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war,” he told reporters on Thursday.
“I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country.”
RING OF STEEL
The Ford-carrier, commissioned in 2017, is capable of hauling up to 90 aircraft and holding more than 5,000 sailors, making it the largest in the world.
The deadly aircraft permanently assigned to the ship include the 18E Super Hornet, the 18G Growler, the 2D Advanced Hawkeye, and the 2A Greyhound, alongside Seahawks.
The Gerald R Ford Carrier Strike Group will join eight additional warships, a nuclear submarine, and an F-35 aircraft stationed in the region.
The US military has already killed around 40 people who were piloting vessels along the Caribbean Sea in ten strikes, according to Hegseth.
Earlier on Friday, the secretary shared a video of the latest strike on X, and said that a lethal bombing had targeted a terrorist organization “trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea.”
He said that all six “narco-terrorists” on board were killed and no US forces were harmed.
“If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda,” he wrote.
“Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you.”
MADURO’S FURY
Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has stoked tensions by claiming his country has 5,000 Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles in “key air defense positions.”
“Any military force in the world knows the power of the Igla-S and Venezuela has no less than 5,000″ of them, Maduro said at a broadcast event on Wednesday, according to CNN.
The Russian Igla-S missiles are short-range, low-altitude weapons that can take out small aerial targets like cruise missiles, drones, helicopters, and low-flying planes.
Inside the Gerald R Ford Carrier Strike Group
IN 2017, the US military completed the USS Gerald R Ford – the largest aircraft carrier in the world.
Here is a look at the newest and most advanced carrier in the US Navy.
- The Ford is powered by two nuclear reactors, which provide more electrical power than ever before
- It is over 1,100 feet long and weighs approximately 100,000 long tons
- The carrier utilizes new gear and systems to increase the launch time of aircraft
- The Ford is capable of carrying up to 90 aircraft
- Here are some of the aircraft held on the ship
- Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
- Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning II
- Boeing EA-18G Growler
- Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye
- Northrop Grumman C-2 Greyhound
- Sikorsky MH-60R/S Seahawk
- Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles
Maduro said the weapons had been deployed “even in the last mountain, the last town, and the last city of the territory.”
The Venezuelan president has repeatedly claimed that the US is trying to drive him out of power, as Trump has accused the country of harboring criminals.
Washington has offered a $50 million reward for anyone who can give information that will lead to Maduro’s arrest, Reuters reported.
Adding to the growing heat is Trump accusing Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being an “illegal drug leader.”
More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos.
Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X at @TheUSSun
