WASHINGTON, November 11. /TASS/. A US strike group led by the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford has entered the area of responsibility of the US Southern Command, which covers Central and South America as well as the Caribbean, the Pentagon said.
According to the statement, the group "led by the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), entered the US Southern Command area of responsibility (USSOUTHCOM AOR), on November 11." The department specified that the ships will be used to carry out US President Donald Trump's instructions to "dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narco-terrorism." About 4,000 US military personnel, along with dozens of aircraft and helicopters, are aboard the carrier.
On October 24, the US Department of War announced that it was deploying the aircraft carrier to the Southern Command’s area of responsibility to combat drug smuggling in the region. On November 1, The Washington Post reported that the United States was building up its military presence off the coast of Venezuela to counter drug trafficking. The newspaper noted that the US force includes eight warships, a nuclear submarine, and a special-purpose vessel.