credit, Getty Images
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- author, Ion Wells
- scroll, Correspondent in South America
The US Navy said in a statement on Tuesday that the ship entered the Southern Command area, which covers Latin America and the Caribbean, three weeks after it was ordered to deploy to the region.
The United States carried out the largest military buildup in decades in the Caribbean and carried out a series of attacks against ships allegedly involved in drug trafficking in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
There were at least 19 attacks that killed 75 people in international waters.
The USS Gerald R. Ford joins other warships, a nuclear submarine and F-35 fighter jets that have been operating in the region in recent weeks.
Washington has not provided evidence of the alleged illicit use of these ships or details of the people on board, and many analysts believe that the use of military force is also an attempt to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro – whom the government accuses of being the head of a drug trafficking organization – and attempt to overthrow him.
Maduro denies these accusations and said that the United States is “fabricating a war” against Venezuela.
Venezuela and Colombia have warned that military mobilization could lead to large-scale conflict, and speculation has increased about whether the United States will launch direct attacks on Venezuelan territory.
On Tuesday, the Venezuelan government announced a nationwide military mobilization to balance the US naval presence on its coast.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino reported that he had ordered “full operational readiness” of all the country’s military, air, sea, river and missile resources. weapons systems; military units; Bolivian militia; Citizen security services and integrated defense commands.”
What does the USS Gerald R. Ford look like?
credit, Alyssa Joy/US Navy
According to the US Navy, the USS Gerald R. Ford is “the world’s most capable, versatile, and lethal combat platform.”
It began operating in 2017, at a ceremony attended by Trump, then in his first term.
The ship is named after the 38th President of the United States, Gerald R. Ford.
The aircraft carrier is nuclear-powered and is more than 335 meters long. For comparison, HMS Queen Elizabeth, the largest warship built by the United Kingdom, is 280 meters long.
The USS Gerald R. Ford can weigh up to 100,000 tons.
The ship costs about US$13 billion and carries weapons such as ESSM self-defense missiles and CIWS short-range weapons system.
According to Reuters, the aircraft carrier can accommodate about 5,000 soldiers.
*With information from Kayla Epstein and Josh Cheatham.
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