U.S. Navy USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group with Powerful Air Wing Arrives in Caribbean Sea.

U.S. media reports that the USS Gerald R. Ford strike group has entered the Caribbean Sea on November 16, 2025, with its full escort fleet and carrier air wing. The move places significant U.S. naval power near Venezuela amid regional uncertainty.

The U.S. Navy Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group's entry into the Caribbean Sea on November 16, 2025, places the world’s most advanced aircraft carrier at the center of a high-tempo security environment. Early intelligence indicates that Caracas responded with immediate military mobilizations, shifting air-defense assets toward the northern coastline and placing several hundred thousand personnel on alert. The United States has significantly expanded maritime surveillance flights and naval interdiction patrols in recent weeks, aligning with a broader effort to dismantle cartel networks that Washington links to elements within the Venezuelan state.
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U.S. Navy USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) leads her carrier strike group into the Caribbean Sea on November 16, 2025, marking a powerful U.S. Navy deployment amid escalating regional tensions with Venezuela. The arrival of CSG-12 brings the Navy’s most advanced air wing and full-spectrum strike capabilities into operational reach of the South American coastline. (Picture source: U.S. Southern Command)

Commanding this show of force is the USS Gerald R. Ford, the lead ship of a new class of nuclear-powered carriers designed to redefine carrier aviation for the next half century. With a length of 1,092 feet and a displacement exceeding 100,000 tons, the USS Gerald R.Ford aircraft carrier is the largest warship ever built. Its electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) and advanced arresting gear (AAG) allow faster, smoother launch-and-recovery cycles, generating more sorties per day than any previous U.S. carrier. Enhanced electrical power generation, redesigned weapons elevators, and a flight deck optimized for rapid aircraft movement combine to create a platform built for high-intensity, sustained air operations.

Escorting the Ford are three Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers—USS Mahan (DDG 72), USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), and USS Bainbridge (DDG 96)—each carrying the Aegis Combat System, SPY-1D radar, and an array of missile options including SM-2, SM-6, Tomahawk land-attack missiles, and ASROC anti-submarine weapons. These ships form a protective shield around the carrier, ready to counter aircraft, drones, cruise missiles, and submarines. Supporting the group is USNS Supply (T-AOE 6), a fast combat support ship capable of delivering munitions, fuel, and provisions while underway, allowing the strike group to remain on station for extended periods.

The carrier’s embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8), brings multi-domain lethality to the group with nine integrated squadrons:

- VFA-31 "Tomcatters", flying 12× F/A-18E Super Hornets, delivers precision air-to-ground and air-to-air strike capability.

- VFA-213 "Blacklions", operating 12× F/A-18F Super Hornets, offers enhanced two-seat coordination for multirole missions.

- VAQ-142 "Gray Wolves", equipped with 5× EA-18G Growlers, provides electronic attack, jamming, and suppression of enemy air defenses.

- VFA-37 "Ragin’ Bulls", also flying 12× F/A-18E Super Hornets, reinforces the strike capability with combat redundancy.

- VFA-87 "Golden Warriors", flying 12× F/A-18E Super Hornets, adds additional firepower for continuous strike operations.

- VRC-40 "Rawhides", operating 2× C-2A Greyhounds deployed per carrier wing (from a total fleet of 13), handles critical logistics and carrier onboard delivery (COD) missions.

- VAW-124 "Bear Aces", flying 4× E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes (typical loadout, though numbers may vary), ensures airborne early warning, battlespace management, and command and control.

- HSC-9 "Tridents", operating MH-60S Seahawks in undisclosed numbers (typically 6 to 8 per carrier deployment), covers vertical replenishment, combat search and rescue (CSAR), and shipboard defense.

- HSM-70 "Spartans", flying 11× MH-60R Seahawks, executes anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare with sonar and Hellfire missiles.

In addition to its manned squadrons, the Ford Strike Group is fielding cutting-edge unmanned systems. Notably, the inclusion of Anduril Industries’ RoadRunner autonomous VTOL drones adds a rapid-response vertical takeoff capability with ISR and kinetic strike potential. Complementing this is the Raytheon Coyote system, a loitering munition repurposed as a counter-UAS effector, offering hard-kill capabilities against drone swarms and low-observable aerial threats.

While the Pentagon continues to emphasize counternarcotics operations, the composition and readiness of the Ford Strike Group signal a far more robust posture. If directed, the carrier air wing’s F/A-18E/F fighters could initiate long-range precision strikes against Venezuelan coastal facilities, air bases, radar networks, or command centers using standoff munitions. EA-18G Growlers could simultaneously degrade Venezuelan air defenses, while E-2D crews manage the battlespace and coordinate naval and air operations. Destroyers within the group could unleash Tomahawk salvoes from international waters, striking high-value targets deep inland without requiring overflight permission from regional partners.

Beyond its immediate combat power, the carrier’s presence underscores Washington’s intent to restore maritime dominance in a region increasingly influenced by illicit networks and foreign actors. For the Maduro government, Ford’s arrival heightens both political isolation and military vulnerability. For neighboring states, it marks a dramatic shift in U.S. force posture—one that may reshape regional security calculations in the months ahead.

The U.S. Navy Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Caribbean is more than a tactical decision. It is a strategic signal, a coercive instrument, and a reminder of the unmatched reach of U.S. naval aviation. As tensions build and the region braces for potential escalation, the presence of CVN 78 and its escorting warships transforms the Caribbean into one of the most militarily charged zones in the Western Hemisphere.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.