The U.S. government has ordered the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its accompanying vessels to deploy to the Caribbean.
This move is part of a military buildup in the region that Washington claims is aimed at combating drug trafficking. However, the Venezuelan government contends that it is an effort to “fabricate a war.”
The carrier’s deployment follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s military campaign launched in early September, which has reportedly resulted in the destruction of at least 10 vessels in the region accused of transporting narcotics. This is notable given Trump’s campaign promise to end foreign military interventions.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell stated that the carrier deployment “will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs [transnational criminal organizations].”
He added, “The enhanced U.S. force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere,” in a post on X.
This announcement followed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s report of a U.S. strike in the Caribbean Sea that killed six individuals on a boat allegedly operated by the Venezuelan drug trafficking group Tren de Agua.
“If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda. Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you,” Hegseth stated on his X account, referring to his title under the Trump administration as secretary of war.
The U.S. has already deployed significant military resources to the region as part of this campaign, including 10 F-35 stealth fighters, a nuclear submarine, and eight U.S. Navy ships.
Additionally, flight tracking data indicates that at least one U.S. B-1B bomber flew over the Caribbean near Venezuela’s coast on Thursday, while several B-52 bombers circled the area last week.
The decision to send the carrier is likely to heighten concerns in Caracas that Washington’s ultimate goal is to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro, whom the U.S. government accuses of supporting drug trafficking organizations.
On Friday, Maduro accused the Trump administration of inciting “a new eternal war.”
He remarked, “They promised they would never again get involved in a war, and they are fabricating a war that we are going to prevent,” during a broadcast on state media.
Trump stated on Thursday that he does not require congressional approval to launch attacks on Venezuela or any other nations he accuses of involvement in drug trafficking, suggesting that land strikes could be forthcoming.
“The land is going to be next,” Trump declared.
