Worlds most powerful warship arrives in Caribbean

The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group has entered the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility to support counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism operations in the Western Hemisphere, the U.S. Navy stated.

Led by the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), the strike group’s arrival follows a presidential directive tasking U.S. forces with dismantling transnational criminal organisations and disrupting narcotics trafficking networks that threaten regional security.

“The enhanced U.S. force presence in the USSOUTHCOM area 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,” said Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell. “These forces will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organisations.”

With more than 4,000 sailors and multiple squadrons embarked, the Gerald R. Ford provides the U.S. with increased capacity to project power through sustained operations at sea. The carrier’s advanced launch and recovery systems enable simultaneous day and night flight operations in support of joint tasking.

The strike group will operate alongside the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and an embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit under a Joint Task Force established to target criminal networks across the Caribbean and Latin America.

“Through unwavering commitment and the precise use of our forces, we stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilise our region,” said Admiral Alvin Holsey, Commander of U.S. Southern Command. “The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group’s deployment represents a critical step in reinforcing our resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and the safety of the American homeland.”

The group includes Carrier Air Wing Eight and several Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), USS Mahan (DDG 72), and USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), bringing anti-air, anti-submarine, and anti-surface warfare capabilities. The Winston S. Churchill will serve as the strike group’s air and missile defence command ship.

The embarked air wing includes nine squadrons flying the F/A-18E and F Super Hornet, E/A-18G Growler, E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, MH-60S and MH-60R Seahawks, and C-2A Greyhound aircraft.