"A significant amount of additional firepower is being sent to support President Donald Trump's new drug war. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, led by the Navy's most advanced aircraft carrier, and its embarked carrier air wing will be diverted from the Mediterranean to the US Southern Command area of responsibility, according to a Friday Pentagon statement. The move marks a notable expansion of US military forces in the region."
"A carrier strike group brings substantially more firepower and capabilities to any potential fight than the amphibious ready group already in the region. The current US force presence in the region is unusual for the counter-narcotics mission. The Ford and the other warships in the strike group will join over half a dozen other US combat vessels routed to the Caribbean in recent months, including the three-ship Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, which includes Marines trained in emergency combat operations."
The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group will be diverted from the Mediterranean to US Southern Command to bolster counter-narcotics operations. SOUTHCOM's area of responsibility includes Central and South America, the Caribbean, and surrounding waters. The directive from the Secretary of Defense aligns with plans to dismantle transnational criminal organizations and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the homeland. The carrier strike group brings substantially more firepower and capabilities than the amphibious ready group previously deployed. The Ford will join multiple other combat vessels, including the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group. Legal experts have questioned whether potential military strikes in the region comply with the laws of armed conflict.
#uss-gerald-r-ford #southcom #counter-narcotics #transnational-criminal-organizations #laws-of-armed-conflict
Read at Business Insider
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