Carrier Ordered to Southern Command
The Pentagon announced the USS Gerald R. Ford will deploy near South America.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the carrier to support US Southern Command missions.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell posted that move on social media.
The USS Ford sails with five destroyers in its strike group.
Commanders currently operate the carrier from the Mediterranean Sea.
Sending a carrier escalates military force in an already built-up region.
Narco-Strikes Increase in Frequency and Lethality
Hours before Parnell’s post, Hegseth reported the military carried out a tenth strike.
He said the latest strike killed six people aboard a suspected drug-smuggling boat.
The strikes began in early September and have killed at least 43 people.
Hegseth identified the vessel as linked to the Tren de Aragua gang.
Officials described the latest attack as the first nighttime strike in this campaign.
Hegseth vowed to treat narco-terrorists like Al-Qaeda and to hunt them relentlessly.
Venezuela Tensions and Regional Political Signals
The Trump administration tied several intercepted boats to Venezuela, officials said.
It designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organisation earlier this year.
Officials blamed the group for violence and drug trafficking in regional cities.
The military flew hypersonic heavy bombers near Venezuela’s coast on Thursday.
Maduro responded by praising coastal defence drills and local militias.
He said forces covered about 2,000 kilometres of coastline in six hours.
Maduro denied wanting war and accused the United States of political motive.
Analysts argue Washington uses drug operations to push regional political objectives.
Hegseth equated the anti-drug strikes to the post-9/11 counterterrorism campaign.
Trump said he intends to kill those bringing drugs into the United States.
