October 24, 2025
The Pentagon has announced the deployment of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Western Hemisphere, amid growing speculation over potential military tensions with Venezuela.
“In support of the President’s directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and combat narco-terrorism in defense of the homeland, the Secretary of Defense has directed the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and its air wing to move into the area of responsibility (AOR) of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM),” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement on Friday.
“The increased presence of U.S. forces in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will strengthen the United States’ ability to detect, monitor, and disrupt illegal actors and activities that compromise the security and prosperity of our homeland and our partners in the Western Hemisphere,” Parnell added. “These forces will enhance ongoing operations to counter narcotics trafficking and dismantle transnational criminal networks.”
Reports have circulated in recent days that the U.S. is also pursuing covert operations aimed at undermining the government of Nicolás Maduro, whom former President Donald Trump has labeled a “narco-terrorist dictator.”
The 12th Carrier Strike Group (CSG-12) is one of four such formations currently assigned to the U.S. Fleet Forces Command. Its flagship, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), leads a force that includes Carrier Air Wing Eight, the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60), and Destroyer Squadron Two (DESRON 2).