credit, Getty Images
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- author, Ione Wells
- roll, South America correspondent
The U.S. Navy reported in a statement on Tuesday that the ship entered its Southern Military Region, which covers Central and South America and the Caribbean, three weeks after being ordered to deploy to the region.
The United States has carried out its largest military buildup in the Caribbean in decades, carrying out a series of attacks on vessels suspected of being involved in drug trafficking in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific.
There have been at least 19 attacks in international waters, resulting in 75 deaths.
The USS Gerald R. Ford joins other warships, nuclear submarines and F-35 fighter jets operating in the area in recent weeks.
The U.S. government has provided no evidence of the alleged illegal use of the vessels or details about the people on board, and many analysts believe the use of military force is also an attempt to pressure and overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom the government accuses of being the head of a drug lord.
President Maduro has denied the accusations and said the United States is “fabricating a war” against Venezuela.
Venezuela and Colombia have warned that military mobilization could spark a major conflict, and there is growing speculation that the United States may launch a direct attack on Venezuelan territory.
The Venezuelan government on Tuesday announced a nationwide military mobilization to counter the US naval presence on its coast.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino reported that he had ordered “full operational readiness” of all land, air, sea, river and missile resources in the country. weapon system. military troops. Bolivian militia. Civil Security Agencies and Integrated Defense Command.”
What kind of ship is the USS Gerald R. Ford?
credit, Alyssa Joy / US Navy
According to the U.S. Navy, the USS Gerald R. Ford is “the world’s most capable, versatile and lethal combat platform.”
It was launched in 2017 at a ceremony attended by Trump, then in his first term.
The ship was named after Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States.
The aircraft carrier is nuclear-powered and has a total length of over 335 meters. For comparison, the largest warship built by Britain, the Queen Elizabeth, is 280 meters long.
The USS Gerald R. Ford weighs up to 100,000 tons.
The ship will cost about $13 billion and is equipped with weapons such as the ESSM self-defense missile and the CIWS short-range weapons system.
According to Reuters, the aircraft carrier can accommodate about 5,000 troops.
*Information from Kayla Epstein and Josh Cheetham.
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