The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and its strike group arrived in Latin America, nearly three weeks after they were ordered to join the U.S. forces building up in the Caribbean.

The U.S. Navy confirmed that the USS Gerald R. Ford arrived in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility on Tuesday. The ship is not yet in the Caribbean but will “augment” forces already there. The carrier group’s arrival marks a major escalation in the U.S. military’s buildup in Latin America over the fall. The Trump administration says that it is in an “armed conflict” with drug trafficking cartels it has designated foreign terrorist organizations.

Along with the aircraft carrier, the strike group includes three Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, the USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan and USS W

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