U.S. Navy sends world’s largest carrier to Caribbean

The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, led by the world’s largest aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), entered the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility (USSOUTHCOM AOR) on November 11 to support operations against transnational criminal organizations and narco-terrorism.

According to a statement from the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, the deployment follows Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s directive under the President’s order to strengthen U.S. efforts in defending the homeland by dismantling criminal networks operating across the Western Hemisphere.

“The enhanced U.S. force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR 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 Organizations.”

With more than 4,000 Sailors and dozens of tactical aircraft aboard, Gerald R. Ford provides combatant commanders increased capability to project power through sustained operations at sea. The first-in-class carrier can launch and recover fixed-wing aircraft simultaneously, day or night, in support of ongoing missions.

The strike group joins other U.S. Navy and Marine Corps forces already operating in the region, including the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and its embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit. Together, these units form part of a joint task force designed to counter organized criminal activity that threatens U.S. and regional security.

Adm. Alvin Holsey, Commander of U.S. Southern Command, said in a statement, “Through unwavering commitment and the precise use of our forces, we stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region. 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 strike group includes nine embarked squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Eight, two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers—USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) and USS Mahan (DDG 72)—and the integrated air and missile defense command ship USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81).

The air wing features F/A-18E/F Super Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadrons 31, 37, 87, and 213; E/A-18G Growlers from Electronic Attack Squadron 142; E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes from Airborne Command and Control Squadron 124; MH-60S Seahawks from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 9; MH-60R Seahawks from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 70; and a C-2A Greyhound detachment from Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40.

Each destroyer brings anti-air, anti-submarine, and anti-surface warfare capability through the Aegis Combat System and vertical missile launch systems. As the strike group’s integrated air and missile defense commander, USS Winston S. Churchill coordinates layered defense operations to protect the force.

The U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility spans 31 countries and 12 territories across Latin America and the Caribbean, covering about one-sixth of the world’s landmass. The deployment of Gerald R. Ford expands U.S. operational reach in countering illicit networks that exploit maritime routes for drug trafficking and human smuggling.