The United States has dramatically escalated its military presence in the waters surrounding Central and South America, deploying the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group in a move that signals a significant ramp-up in Washington's campaign against drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations. The Pentagon announced the deployment on Friday, October 24, 2025, following a series of increasingly aggressive strikes on vessels suspected of smuggling narcotics—strikes that have left at least 43 people dead since early September, according to reports from both ABC News and NPR.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, speaking alongside President Trump at a White House roundtable on Thursday, made clear the administration’s intent: "We're finally treating the cartels as the core national security threat that they really are. The cartels are waging war on America." Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell echoed this resolve, stating that the deployment would "enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs," referring to transnational criminal organizations.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, currently stationed in port in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea, is expected to bring with it an additional 5,000 troops and significant firepower—including five destroyers and nine squadrons of aircraft—to a region already bristling with over 6,000 sailors and Marines aboard eight warships. While military officials have not specified how long it will take for the strike group to arrive, the move will boost the U.S. military presence in the region from roughly 10,000 to 15,000 personnel. The strike group’s assets include F-18 fighter jets, and the military already has 10 F-35 fighter jets and MQ-9 Reaper drones stationed nearby. Exercises involving B-52 and B-1 bombers, Black Hawk helicopters, and MH-6 Little Birds have also been conducted off the coast of Venezuela in recent days.
The latest military strike, carried out overnight on October 24, targeted a vessel allegedly operated by the Tren de Aragua gang—a group the Trump administration has designated a foreign terrorist organization. Hegseth reported that six people were killed in the attack, bringing the total death toll from these operations to at least 43. The U.S. military’s strikes have increased in tempo, with three occurring in the week leading up to the deployment announcement and two of the most recent attacks taking place in the eastern Pacific Ocean, expanding the operational area beyond the Caribbean and the coast of Venezuela. All previous strikes, however, have occurred in international waters, according to ABC News.
President Trump, in his characteristically blunt style, outlined the administration’s approach to the fight against drug cartels. When asked whether he would seek a formal declaration of war from Congress, Trump responded, "I don't think we're going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war. I think we're just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. OK? We're going to kill them. You know? They're going to be, like, dead. OK." He doubled down on this stance at the White House roundtable, stating, "If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda. Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you."
The administration’s aggressive tactics have raised a host of legal and political questions. Historically, U.S. efforts to combat drug trafficking have relied heavily on law enforcement and international cooperation, rather than direct military force. Lawmakers from both major parties have voiced concerns about the lack of congressional authorization for these military actions and the potential for escalation. "I've never seen anything quite like this before," said Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey, a Democrat and former Pentagon and State Department adviser. "We have no idea how far this is going, how this could potentially bring in, you know, is it going to be boots on the ground? Is it going to be escalatory in a way where we could see us get bogged down for a long time?"
On the other side of the aisle, Republican Representative Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida offered a different perspective, saying, "It's about time." While acknowledging that Trump "obviously hates war," Diaz-Balart emphasized that the president is not afraid to use military force in targeted operations. "I would not want to be in the shoes of any of these narco-cartels."
The U.S. campaign has not been limited to military action. On October 24, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro, his family, and a member of his government over allegations of involvement in the global drug trade. This move has further strained relations with Colombia, one of the world's largest cocaine producers, and expanded the scope of U.S. actions in the region.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, meanwhile, has accused the U.S. of using the fight against drug trafficking as a pretext for regime change. On Thursday, Maduro praised his country's security forces and civilian militia for conducting defense exercises along 1,200 miles of coastline, preparing for what he described as a possible U.S. attack. "100% of all the country's coastline was covered in real time, with all the equipment and heavy weapons to defend all of Venezuela's coasts if necessary," Maduro declared in a televised government event.
Regional analysts have also questioned the true motives behind the U.S. military buildup. Elizabeth Dickinson, the International Crisis Group's senior analyst for the Andes region, told NPR, "An expression that I'm hearing a lot is 'Drugs are the excuse.' And everyone knows that. And I think that message is very clear in regional capitals. So the messaging here is that the U.S. is intent on pursuing specific objectives. And it will use military force against leaders and countries that don't fall in line."
Complicating matters further, Tropical Storm Melissa was reported to be stationary in the central Caribbean as of October 24, with forecasters warning that it could soon strengthen into a hurricane. This weather development adds another layer of unpredictability to an already volatile situation, as the U.S. Navy and Air Force ramp up operations in the region.
The Trump administration’s approach marks a stark departure from past U.S. policy, with the president drawing direct comparisons between the current crackdown on drug cartels and the war on terror declared after September 11, 2001. By designating drug cartels as unlawful combatants and launching military operations without seeking congressional approval, the White House is testing the limits of executive power in the realm of national security.
As the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group prepare to make their way from the Adriatic to the waters off South America, the world is watching to see whether this show of force will succeed in curbing the flow of narcotics—or whether it will lead to deeper entanglement and heightened tensions in a region already fraught with instability.
