United States Maintains Deployment of Aircraft Carriers and Amphibious Ships in the Western Hemisphere to Combat Illicit Trafficking

The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, along with the amphibious assault ships USS Iwo Jima, USS Fort Lauderdale, and USS San Antonio, remain deployed in the Western Hemisphere as part of U.S. maritime security operations.

According to official information, the Marines and sailors aboard these ships are in a state of operational readiness to support the coordinated efforts of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of State, and the Department of Justice.

The primary mission is to intercept vessels belonging to the so-called "dark fleet," a term used to describe ships operating with deactivated transponders, false identities, or opaque registrations, and which are often linked to drug trafficking, arms smuggling, and other illicit activities.

Interagency Support

U.S. authorities indicate that these operations aim to weaken the logistical networks that support actors considered malign, including international cartels, by disrupting their maritime routes and seizing illegal cargo.

The naval deployment does not, for now, imply direct military action against specific states, but rather a deterrent and operational reinforcement in international waters and strategic areas of the Americas.

Strategic Context

Defense analysts emphasize that the simultaneous presence of a Ford-class aircraft carrier and multiple amphibious assault ships represents a significant projection capability, both for maritime interdiction operations and for logistical support, evacuation, or rapid crisis response missions.

The Pentagon has not specified the exact duration of the deployment, although it indicated that operations will continue as long as the threat of transnational illicit trafficking persists in the region.