The Pentagon’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, and its strike group arrived in the Latin American region on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Navy, as the Trump administration beefs up its military presence in the U.S. Southern Command (Southcom) area and strikes alleged drug-trafficking boats on both sides of South America.

USS Gerald R. Ford, carrying more than 4,000 sailors and dozens of tactical aircraft, entered the Southcom area of responsibility after being directed by the Department of Defense (DOD) to depart the Mediterranean in late October for what officials argued was assistance in dismantling transnational criminal organizations and curbing drug-smuggling.

“The enhanced U.S. force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and di

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