Hegseth Deploys Aircraft Carrier To U.S. Southern Command

The U.S. military is sending an aircraft carrier to the waters off South America, in the latest escalation and buildup of military forces in the region. The Pentagon spokesman said in a social media post Friday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group to deploy to U.S. Southern Command to “bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States." The USS Ford is currently deployed to the Mediterranean Sea along with three destroyers. It would likely take several days for the ships to make the journey to South America.