The head of the U.S. Southern Command, Admiral Alvin Holsey, informed this Sunday, November 16, that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the Pentagon’s largest, entered Caribbean waters with the objective of “combating transnational threats” and in the midst of his country’s dispute with Venezuela.
“Through firm engagement and the precise use of our powers, we stand ready to combat transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region,” Holsey said in a press release posted on the U.S. military agency’s website.
Largest U.S. aircraft carrier already in the Caribbean
Adm. Alvin Holsey, the commander who oversees the Caribbean and Latin America, said in a statement that the American forces “stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region .” https://t.co/lZY9AdERoW
– John Kennedy (@AKAfeng37) November 16, 2025
This maritime operation in the U.S. Southern Command area comes on orders from U.S. Secretary of War (Defense) Pete Hegseth, who heads the carrier strike group, and in support of U.S. President Donald Trump’s directives to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and counter narco-terrorists to defend its territory.
“The deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford strike team represents a critical step in reinforcing our resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and that of the U.S. homeland,” he emphasized.
The aircraft carrier will accompany Expeditionary Unit 22 aboard the USS Iwo Jima as part of the military operation “Southern Spear” which is related to Washington’s fight against drug trafficking originating in Latin America and comes at a time marked by the Donald Trump administration’s increasing pressure on Venezuela.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is the world’s largest aircraft carrier, with a capacity of 4,500 crew and 70 aircraft, and is considered by the U.S. Navy to be the “most capable, versatile and lethal combat platform in the world.”
The Gerald R. Ford, which is more than 335 meters long and nuclear-powered, features a pioneering aircraft catapult system for electromagnetic takeoff, advanced radars and nuclear reactors, which provide uninterrupted power to the ship’s engines.
During its test period, the USS Gerald Ford withstood in 2021 the impact of three underwater explosions known as ship-level shock tests, which credited its ability to withstand heavy impacts and continue to operate in extreme conditions.
For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Trinidad and Tobago, Sean Sobers, confirmed last Friday that the U.S. Navy would arrive this Sunday in the Caribbean territory to continue its military exercises with the Trinidadian Defense Force in the midst of the tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela.
Tensions between Venezuela and Trinidad escalated with the docking in Port of Spain a week ago of the USS Gravely, a U.S. destroyer equipped with guided missiles.
In recent weeks, U.S. forces have destroyed more than a dozen vessels suspected of being linked to drug trafficking in Caribbean and eastern Pacific waters, killing most of their crew members.
With information from EFE
