The Pentagon announced it will send an aircraft carrier to waters off South America.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group to deploy.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell posted the deployment on social media.
Hegseth assigned the carrier to US Southern Command to boost monitoring and disruption capabilities.
He said the mission will target illicit actors threatening US safety and prosperity.
The USS Gerald R. Ford currently operates in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Ford’s strike group includes five destroyers.
The region has seen a large US buildup in the Caribbean and off Venezuela.
Sending a carrier raises military stakes in an increasingly tense neighborhood.
Nighttime Strikes and Drug-Related Claims
Hours before Parnell’s post, Hegseth announced the military struck a suspected drug boat.
The strike killed six people and marked the operation’s tenth attack, he said.
Hegseth said the strikes began in early September and killed at least 43 people so far.
He identified the latest vessel as linked to the Tren de Aragua gang.
The administration previously tied another operation to that Venezuelan prison-origin gang.
The strike tempo rose recently from one every few weeks to three this week.
Hegseth said the most recent strike occurred in international waters and happened at night.
He called it the first nocturnal strike and hailed its effectiveness.
Hegseth wrote: “If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs, we will treat you like Al-Qaeda.”
Political Ripples and Strategic Signalling
The Trump administration labeled Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organisation.
Officials blamed the gang for violence and drug dealing in several cities.
The administration claims at least four targeted boats departed from Venezuela.
The strikes and military buildup prompted speculation about ousting Nicolás Maduro.
Maduro faces narcoterrorism charges in the United States.
The US flew two hypersonic heavy bombers near Venezuela’s coast on Thursday.
The administration insists it fights drug trafficking, not regime change.
Maduro accused the US of trying to force him from power.
He praised security forces and a civilian militia after coastline defence exercises.
Maduro said: “In six hours, we covered 100% of our coastline in real time with heavy weapons.”
Maduro added: “Not war, just peace. Forever. No crazy war,” mocking Trump.
Elizabeth Dickinson said the US presence signals political pressure more than anti-drug action.
“Drugs are the excuse,” she said, calling the message obvious to regional capitals.
Hegseth likened the campaign to the post-9/11 war on terror.
Trump labeled cartels unlawful combatants and declared an “armed conflict” with them this month.
He cited the same legal authority used after September 11, 2001.
Reporters asked whether he would seek a congressional war declaration against cartels.
Trump replied: “I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country,” he said.
