The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the most modern and technologically advanced warship in the United States Navy, was sent to the Southern Command area that covers the Caribbean and the waters off South America as part of an escalation of the US military presence in the region to reinforce operations against the drug trafficking, the Pentagon announced.

At 334 meters long, with a deck 78 meters wide and a displacement of about 100,000 tons at full load, the Gerald R. Ford is the flagship of the new Ford class, the first new class of aircraft carriers in more than 40 years.

It was commissioned in July 2017 and, after overcoming technical difficulties that delayed its operational deployment, completed its first deployment in 2022 and its first combat cruise in 2023. The Navy describes it as “the world's most capable, adaptable, and lethal combat platform,” designed to project power on a global scale through operations conducted at sea.

The Ford is powered by two nuclear reactors that the Navy says generate significantly more electrical power than the Nimitz class, allowing it to operate advanced systems such as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS).

Unlike traditional steam catapults, EMALS employs magnets to launch aircraft with greater speed, a larger weapons load, and more fuel, extending the range and lethality of its air wing. The carrier also incorporates electromagnetic hoists for ammunition handling and a digitalized aircraft arresting system to increase sortie rates and reduce energy consumption. Ford's flight deck is slightly wider than that of previous carriers, and its "island" is reduced and moved aft to facilitate air operations. The ship can carry 70 to 90 aircraft (the exact number varies by configuration), including F/A-18 Super Hornets for attack and air defense, EA-18G Growlers for electronic warfare, E-2D Hawkeye for early warning and air control, and Seahawk helicopters for anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, and personnel transport. Ford does not yet routinely operate the F-35C stealth fighter-bomber,whose adaptation requires modifications planned for future maintenance.

The Ford strike group typically operates at least one guided-missile cruiser, several guided-missile destroyers, an attack submarine, and a logistics vessel; This time, it was reported that five destroyers will accompany it, although it has not been confirmed if all of them will make the trip to the waters off South America.

At the time of the Pentagon announcement, the aircraft carrier was in a port in Croatia, in the Adriatic Sea, and at least one of the destroyers assigned to the group was in the Arabian Sea and another in the Red Sea, leaving open the question of how long it will take to assemble and position the force in the Caribbean.

US officials have said that the deployment also seeks to send a message to drug cartels about the United States' ability to quickly deploy a significant presence in the area.

Critics and regional governments have warned that the intensification of military operations, which in recent days included attacks on suspicious vessels and bomber flights near the Venezuelan coast, could have political and security implications in the region and have generated speculation about objectives that go beyond interdiction. drugs.