US military to deploy aircraft carrier to South America amid soaring tensions with Venezuela

WASHINGTON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the deployment of the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier and its supporting warships to the U.S. Southern Command Area, the Pentagon said on Friday, drastically increasing the number of troops and aircraft in the Latin America region.

"The enhanced U.S. force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on X.

He did not specify when the carrier would be moving to the region.