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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group from Europe to the Caribbean to “dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narco-terrorism,” the Pentagon said. The first-in-class carrier, recently near Split, Croatia, is more than 5,000 miles from the region and will take days to arrive. The buildup has stirred questions about the Trump administration’s aims, even as officials frame it as a counter-drug campaign; CNN reports President Donald Trump has weighed strikes in Venezuela. Hegseth said an overnight strike killed six, bringing totals to 10 boats and 43 dead since last month.

Prepared by Rachel Morgan and reviewed by editorial team.