Mark F. Cancian and Chris H. Park
With the redeployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. naval presence in the Caribbean reaches a level unseen since the Cold War. The aircraft carrier’s arrival suggests a shift from a campaign against drug smugglers to one that includes undermining the Maduro regime.
The Ford, with its three escorting destroyers, arrived in the Caribbean region on November 11. These assets are ill-suited for counter-narcotics operations against suspected drug
smuggling boats but well suited to launch air and missile strikes against Venezuela.
The long-range firepower available to the United States in the Caribbean is now comparable to levels used in past campaigns of limited scope and duration. There are two likely target sets for such strikes—the cartel facilities and the Maduro regime—with some overlap.
Carriers are a scarce resource, with only around a third of the 11 in the fleet at sea at any time. Other regional commanders will want the Ford for crisis response, exercises with allies, and shows of force to peer competitors. For U.S. Southern Command, the regional command for the Caribbean, the carrier is a “use it or lose it” asset.
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