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The United States has deployed the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its accompanying guided-missile destroyers to the South American coast, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Friday.

According to Sean Parnell, assistant defense secretary for public affairs, the strike group has been sent to the region to “dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narco-terrorism.” The deployment includes the carrier’s onboard warplanes and the ships in its strike group, representing a major escalation in the U.S. campaign against narcotics trafficking in the Caribbean and northern South America.

In recent months, the Trump administration has carried out at least ten strikes against suspected drug vessels off the coasts of Venezuela and Colombia, actions that have killed dozens of individuals the U.S. classifies as “narco-terrorists.” Officials have accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his government of facilitating drug trafficking and contributing to mass migration toward the U.S. southern border.