This is the USS Gerald Ford, the largest warship in the world sent by the United States to the coasts of the Caribbean Sea, which cost 13 billion US dollars.

A view of the aircraft carrier Gerald Ford with part of the 90 aircraft it can carry on its deck. — photo caption, The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, the largest and most modern in the US Navy, approaches the Caribbean.

November 12, 2025

Updated 8 hours ago

The naval force deployed by the United States in the Caribbean, off the coast of Venezuela, has received important reinforcements.

The Southern Command announced, on Tuesday, that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford had entered its jurisdiction and was expected to soon join the fleet that Washington had deployed there – according to the White House – to stop drug smuggling from South America and combat organizations that benefit from that trade.

Among these gangs, the Trump administration points to the Sun Cartel, a group it claims is made up of the military and members of the Venezuelan government.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the arrival of the warship, the largest in the world, “will enhance the United States’ ability to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that disrupt the nation’s security and prosperity.”

To date, US forces have attacked 19 suspected drug boats, killing more than 70 people in both the Caribbean and the Pacific.

For its part, the Venezuelan government questioned the anti-drug hypothesis, and considered the military mobilization to be part of an operation to overthrow him.

Nicolas Maduro announced in recent days that “everything that is being done against Venezuela is to justify war, regime change, and the theft of our enormous oil wealth.”

But what does the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier look like and what would its deployment entail?

An F18 aircraft is about to take off from the aircraft carrier Ford. — photo caption, The new catapult system developed for this type of supertanker allows one aircraft to be cleared every 45 seconds.

“The deadliest fighting platform”

The US Navy says on its website that the USS Gerald R. Ford is “the most capable, adaptable and lethal combat platform in the world,” explaining that the ship is the first in a new class of aircraft carriers in more than four decades.

The ship, whose construction began in 2007 and ended in 2013, is the first of a new generation of ships that operate as floating air bases and are nuclear-powered, allowing them to remain at sea for up to 20 years without needing to refuel.

The ship can carry up to 90 aircraft, including F-35 and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet strike fighters, E-2D Hawkeye spy planes, EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft, and MH-60R/S helicopters, as well as unmanned aerial and combat vehicles.

The carrier, called the “Super Carrier,” is 337 meters long and 78 meters wide, which is slightly larger than its predecessors of the Nimitz class, which are 333 meters long and 76 meters wide, according to the US Navy website.

However, its dimensions make it the largest warship on the planet today.

A view of the aircraft carrier Gerald Ford as it passes through the Strait of Gibraltar. — photo caption, The floating castle was named after the thirty-eighth US President, who took office on August 9, 1974 after the resignation of Richard Nixon.

Despite its larger size, the USS Gerald R. Ford carries between 4,500 and 5,000 uniformed personnel, about 25% fewer than its predecessors, which required up to 6,000 people to operate.

Likewise, the aircraft carrier has a series of technological innovations that not only explain why its budget has soared from the originally projected $10 billion to $13 billion.

This not only earned her the title of the most expensive ship, but also delayed her take-off to sea by a few years.

The ship was not delivered to the Navy until 2017, four years after its launch, but it was not officially integrated into the fleet until April 2023, after completing war exercises and having to return to the shipyards to modify its new systems, says the specialized magazine. Marine technology.

Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine Corps colonel and researcher at the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIC), explained to BBC Mundo: “Ford-class aircraft carriers offer several improvements over the previous Nimitz class, mainly a new aircraft catapult system, more powerful radars and a reduction in crew numbers thanks to automation.”

Part of the escort for the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford off the coast of Denmark — photo caption, Aircraft carriers such as the Gerald Ford are always accompanied by other escort ships armed with long-range missiles.

More takeoffs and landings

The floating castle bears the name of the thirty-eighth US President, who took office on August 9, 1974 after the resignation of his predecessor, Richard Nixon, against the backdrop of the Watergate scandal.

The boat can travel at about 30 knots (56 kilometers per hour), a speed similar to its predecessors. However, where it breaks records is in aircraft take-offs, thanks to the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS).

EMALS are new catapults that use a linear induction motor that generates a magnetic field to move a moving cart to which the aircraft is attached.

Unlike traditional catapults that use pressurized steam, the new system not only allows a plane to be launched every 45 seconds, 25 percent faster than steam catapults, but it also allows heavier planes to be launched over shorter distances, Harrison Cass, a lawyer and former US Air Force pilot, said in an article.

“EMALS is presented as a revolutionary system that changes naval aviation,” the now expert on defense issues added.

A group of Chinese citizens watching Fujian from afar. — photo caption, China has attempted to replicate some of the systems found on the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier on its newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian.

The new catapults aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford also offer another advantage: the ability to launch drones.

“Steam catapults have some drawbacks. Perhaps the most notable is their tendency to be too powerful, which can damage aircraft and reduce the life of the airframe,” he explained.

“This overpower problem prevents the launch of light aircraft; only heavy aircraft, such as the F-18 Hornet or E-2 Hawkeye, can be launched. This does not include new unmanned aircraft, which the Navy plans to rely on more and more,” the former pilot concluded.

Although President Donald Trump criticized the system as “expensive” and ineffective, China copied it and integrated it into its newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian.

Aircraft formation on a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. — photo caption, Due to their destructive power, aircraft carriers are also part of US diplomacy.

Armed to the teeth

But in addition to the dozens of fighter planes it can carry that can launch missiles against targets hundreds of miles away, the USS Gerald R. Ford has other weapons.

“The aircraft carrier also has early warning aircraft, tanker aircraft, anti-submarine warfare aircraft, cargo transport aircraft and electronic warfare aircraft,” Cancian explained.

Furthermore, this ship never operates alone, but is part of a strike group made up of other warships.

“Their escorts, perhaps three destroyers in this case, not only protect the aircraft carrier, but can also attack ground targets with long-range Tomahawk missiles,” the retired military officer added.

Carlos Solar, a Latin American security specialist at the Royal United Services Institute in the United Kingdom, told BBC Mundo: “The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is the jewel in the crown of the US Navy, and along with its accompanying ships – many of which are destroyers capable of launching guided missiles – they constitute the most powerful strike group in the Navy’s ranks.”

A destroyer fires a Tomahawk missile in 2011 during attacks on Libya. — photo caption, The destroyers sent by the United States to the Caribbean carry the famous Tomahawk missiles, with a range of more than 1,600 kilometers.

Intentions

Messages sent by Washington regarding the ship’s operation in the Caribbean did not clarify its specific purpose.

In September, President Trump denied holding talks with members of his cabinet to consider “regime change” in Venezuela, but weeks later publicly announced that he had ordered the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to carry out operations inside the South American country.

According to CSIC, the US fleet currently in the Caribbean has 170 Tomahawk missiles, a larger number than the United States had in the Mediterranean during its attacks against the regime of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, in 2011.

“This is the first time an aircraft carrier has conducted anti-drug operations,” Cancian speculates. “However, it is unlikely to have a major role in this, because its capabilities are not well suited for this type of mission. Instead, I believe it could be used to launch attacks against Venezuela.”

The Tomahawk missiles carried by American ships have a range of up to 1,600 kilometers, so they can reach targets in almost any area in the South American country.

Maduro and his wife in a military vehicle during Venezuelan independence events. — photo caption, After weeks of conducting training and calling on citizens to join the militias, Maduro ordered the general mobilization of the Venezuelan armed forces to repel any attack.

“Along with Southern Command forces already in the Caribbean, the Ford Strike Group represents a fighting force unparalleled in the past decade in a military operation in the Western Hemisphere,” Solar added.

For his part, Basil Germond, professor of international security at Lancaster University (United Kingdom), acknowledged that “anti-drug operations at sea do not usually include aircraft carriers, since they operate expensive ships and their main purpose is to carry out high-level combat missions.”

However, he did not rule out the possibility of the Ford or part of its escort participating in these missions that “require knowledge of the maritime field,” he told BBC Mundo.

But a professor at the Royal Navy’s Strategic Studies Center confirmed that the ship’s presence in the region is a political message.

He added, “Aircraft carriers symbolize strength and demonstrate political determination. This is called maritime diplomacy. Their deployment can lead to coercion of other actors without actually resorting to force.”

He concluded by saying: “Whatever message the Trump administration wants to convey, it is doing so in a very strong and credible way.”