US Sends Aircraft carrier to South America
The U.S. military is sending an aircraft carrier to the waters off South America, increasing military forces in the region, the Pentagon announced Friday.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group to deploy to U.S. Southern Command to “strengthen the U.S. ability to find, watch, and stop illegal activities that threaten the safety and well-being of the United states,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a social media post.
Sending an aircraft carrier is a significant increase in military power in a region that has already seen a large U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean Sea and near Venezuela.
The U.S. military has conducted its 10th strike on a suspected drug-running boat, resulting in six deaths, Hegseth said Friday. He blamed the Tren de Aragua gang for operating the vessel. The strikes have become more frequent, happening three times this week alone, and have killed at least 43 people as September.
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