US Navy Deploys Long-Term Fleet for Southern Drug Interdiction Efforts

After over 100 days of high-profile operations in the Caribbean, the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group has concluded its deployment for Operation Southern Spear. The effort, led by Southern Command, aimed to disrupt narcotics trafficking using advanced kinetic strikes on suspected smuggling vessels. The strike group, including the Ford carrier, its airwing, and multiple guided-missile destroyers, was redeployed from the Middle East specifically for this mission late last year. Naval offici