The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) in the Strait of Gibraltar on Oct. 1, 2025. Seaman Apprentice Alyssa Joy/U.S. Navy
The Pentagon on Friday announced the deployment of an aircraft carrier to U.S. Southern Command to target drug trafficking organizations, marking a significant U.S. military buildup in the Latin American region.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hesgeth has directed the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and its strike group to the area of responsibility, which encompasses Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, in order 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,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement.
