Something is wrong. On October 24, the Pentagon Ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and its Strike Group to proceed from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Caribbean, to join SouthCom in the area of Venezuela. Today, Nov. 1, which is eight days later, the vessel is STILL in the Mediterranean Sea!
In the satellite image below, made public by the European Space Agency, The Gerald R. Ford is shown positioned in the Central Mediterranean, specifically loitering in a pattern indicative of a deliberate pause without visible escorts in recent satellite and AIS-derived imagery.
bearing in mind the ship was ordered on Oct. 24 to head to the Caribbean, it seemed strange it made a port visit to Split, Croatia, on October 26, where it was last publicly documented in formation with elements of its strike group.
So here we are, days later, the ship is STILL in the Med, but seemingly in a deliberate holding patter, and WITHOUT its Strike Group!
At this rate, and Atlantic crossing could only begin around November 3-5 with arrival in southern Caribbean by November 12-17, to join assets like USS Iwo Jima and destroyers already in theater.
Making this long delay even more strange, yesterday, the U.S. closed the air space around Puerto Rico for "Security Reasons" and that closure is to last until March of next year! (Story Here)
It is publicly known the US has moved significant numbers of fighter jets and bomber aircraft to Puerto Rico, so why the Closed Air Space NOW? If the US intends to use Puerto Rico as a sort of forward operating base for military strikes against Venezuela, the air space closure would be understandable. But it seems unlikely any military action against Venezuela would begin before the USs Gerald R. Ford gets into position - and that is almost two weeks away. So why close Puerto Rico air space NOW?
No, something is wrong here. Long delay in moving an aircraft carrier, then seeing it deliberately loitering without any escorts. Closing air space weeks before that Carrier can get into position. All this strikes me as weird.
Unless, of course, the very publicly announced deployment of the Gerald R. Ford is a distraction? Maybe the US sent other aircraft carriers to the Caribbean and didn't tell anyone?
HMMMMMMM. That would be a possibility. It would also explain closing Puerto Rico air space now, too.
