106: The USS Gerald R. Ford and Gunboat Diplomacy in the Caribbean Guest: Rebecca Grant Rebecca Grant affirmed that the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford supercarrier in the Caribbean is the "top symbol of American power," providing significant strike and surv
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 20 November 2025
⏱️ 9 minutes
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Summary
Guest: Rebecca Grant
Rebecca Grant affirmed that the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford supercarrier in the Caribbean is the "top symbol of American power," providing significant strike and surveillance options, with the rapid deployment being unusual and signaling a large strategic shift to reassert U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere, pressure Maduro, and push back against Chinese and Russian influence, and Grant agreed with China's label of the action as "gunboat diplomacy," noting that it is strategically effective in signaling America's seriousness about the region.
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| 0:00.0 | This is CBS, I on the World. |
| 0:07.3 | I'm John Batchew with Gordon Chang at Gordon G. Chang, my colleague and co-host. |
| 0:11.7 | And we're very pleased to welcome our colleague, Rebecca Grant of the Lexington Foundation, |
| 0:16.7 | to comment on the facts of the matter of the fleet, the flotilla, the very large naval force, |
| 0:25.2 | assembled somewhere between Venezuela's shores and Puerto Rico. |
| 0:29.2 | Why Puerto Rico, an old naval base there, Roosevelt Rhodes, has become this headquarters for the operation so far. |
| 0:38.2 | That is also a place where they've been exercising the Marines that are part of the large naval force. |
| 0:45.1 | But we begin with the biggest ship of all, the super, super carrier, Gerald R. Ford. |
| 0:50.5 | Rebecca, a very good day to you. |
| 0:52.0 | What does it Gerald R. Ford mean when it moves into a neighborhood? |
| 0:55.5 | What are its capabilities? |
| 0:57.5 | What does it provide that it wasn't there before when it was a flotilla of naval destroyers, I believe, |
| 1:05.5 | Arley Burke, there was a cruiser and just a marine contingent. |
| 1:08.3 | What does Gerald Ford add to the mix? |
| 1:10.1 | Good evening to you. Good evening. The arrival of the U.S. What does Gerald Ford add to the mix? Good evening to you. |
| 1:11.7 | Good evening. The arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford is the top symbol of American power. |
| 1:17.8 | She's the newest and biggest aircraft carrier in the Navy's fleet. And she brings with her carrier |
| 1:23.9 | air wing eight. That is four squadrons of fighter planes, electronic attack and surveillance, |
| 1:30.2 | helicopters, and all that means that the U.S. now has plenty of strike and surveillance |
| 1:35.7 | options in the Caribbean. With the four there, this means that the U.S. can carry out strikes |
| 1:41.7 | either on boats or on other targets at will and for as long as |
| 1:46.2 | they need to do it. And the Geraldar Ford on station now, it was in the eastern Mediterranean. |
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