The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) aircraft carrier, deployed by US President Donald Trump in the Caribbean Sea, turned on its transponder on Monday to remind Nicolás Maduro that he is very close.
According to data from the digital monitor MarineTraffic, the world's largest aircraft carrier is located near the Virgin Islands, specifically south of Charlotte Amalie.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford is the epicenter of the strike group that was sent to the region to join Operation Southern Spear against the drug cartels.
Its proximity has sparked debates about a possible military action in Venezuelan territory, where the United States has targeted foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) such as the Tren de Aragua and, primarily, the Cartel of the Suns.
With over 4,000 sailors and dozens of tactical aircraft on board, the USS Gerald R. Ford provides enhanced power projection capabilities through sustained operations at sea. The first-of-its-class aircraft carrier can simultaneously catapult, launch, and recover fixed-wing aircraft on its flight deck, day or night, in support of assigned operations.
Along with USS Gerald R. Ford, the carrier strike group brings additional capable, lethal, and adaptable combat assets, including the nine embarked squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Eight, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) and USS Mahan (DDG 72), and the integrated air and missile defense command ship USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81).
The squadrons embarked aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford include Fighter Attack Squadron (VFA) 31, VFA 37, and VFA 87, flying the F/A-18E Super Hornet; VFA 213, flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet; Electronic Attack Squadron 142, flying the E/A-18G Growler; Airborne Command and Control Squadron 124, flying the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne command and control helicopter; Helicopter Maritime Combat Squadron (HSC) 9, flying the MH-60S Seahawk; and Helicopter Maritime Attack Squadron (HSM) 70, flying the MH-60R Seahawk. and a detachment from Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40, flying the Carrier Onboard Delivery C-2A Greyhound.
The company's destroyers contribute anti-air, anti-submarine, and anti-surface capabilities, including the Aegis Combat System, vertical launch missile systems, and several large-mounted guns. As IAMDC, Winston S. Churchill leads the strike group's air and ballistic missile defense.
