The government of United States President Donald Trump authorized this Friday (24) the sending of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to the Caribbean, in an operation aimed at reinforcing the fight against international drug trafficking in Latin America. The vessel, considered the largest and most powerful warship ever built, is the ultimate symbol of American naval superiority.
According to the Pentagon, Gerald Ford should lead the call Carrier Strike Group 12consisting of five guided missile destroyers, under the command of United States Southern Command. The group will join the 10,000 soldiers already deployed in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico since August, in a counterterrorism and combating drug trafficking mission that has Venezuela and Colombia in its sights.
The USS Gerald Ford is powered by nuclear reactors that are 333 meters long and 78 meters wide. Described by the US Navy as a “floating city”, the aircraft carrier is home to 4,600 troops and can operate for more than two decades without refueling. With a displacement of 100,000 tons, the ship carries more than 75 aircraft, including state-of-the-art fighters, electronic warfare planes, MH-60 Seahawk helicopters and early warning aircraft.
According to the US Congress website, the construction of the Gerald Ford cost around US$13 billion, making it the most expensive naval project in US history. The aircraft carrier has already been described by the American military as “an authentic technological marvel”.
The USS Gerald Ford is equipped with the EMALS system (Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System), which is an electromagnetic launch system that replaces the old steam mechanisms and allows a fighter to reach takeoff speed in just 1.5 seconds.
Before being assigned to the Caribbean, the Gerald Ford carried out joint North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operations in northern Europe and the Arctic Circle, with the participation of the navies of Norway, France and Germany. He was also sent to the Middle East, at a time of greatest military tension in the region.
The USS Gerald Ford is now the main instrument of the United States naval offensive in Latin America, in the context of combating transnational drug trafficking networks.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the increased military presence in the region “will strengthen the U.S. ability to detect, monitor and disrupt illicit activities that compromise the security and prosperity of the United States and the Western Hemisphere.”
