Washington, US, Oct 24 (EFE).-
The Pentagon announced on Friday the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the United States fleet, to the Caribbean amid rising tensions with Venezuela following recent US military strikes on boats allegedly involved in drug trafficking.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the carrier strike group to the area under the US Southern Command “in support of the president’s directive to dismantle transnational criminal organizations,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement.
According to Parnell, the deployment “will strengthen US capabilities to detect, monitor, and dismantle transnational criminal organizations,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement.
According to Parnell, the deployment “will strengthen US capabilities to detect, monitor, and dismantle illicit actors and activities that threaten the security and prosperity of the American people.”
Expanded military presence in the Caribbean
The Gerald R. Ford and its strike group will join a growing US military presence in the Caribbean that began earlier this summer as part of anti-narcotics operations.
The deployment includes three amphibious assault and transport ships, F-35B fighter jets, P-8 patrol aircraft, and MQ-9 drones operating from a base in Puerto Rico.
“These forces will enhance and expand existing capabilities to counter drug trafficking and degrade transnational criminal networks,” Parnell added.
US officials argue that the buildup aims to combat narcotics smuggling routes used by criminal organizations across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
However, regional governments, particularly Venezuela and Colombia, have condemned recent US strikes, accusing Washington of carrying out extrajudicial executions.
Deadly clashes and accusations of overreach
Over the past several weeks, the Trump administration has reported destroying at least 10 vessels in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in several deaths.
Venezuelan authorities claim that some of the targeted boats were civilians, accusing the US of violating international law.
On Friday, Hegseth confirmed that US forces had sunk another vessel in the Caribbean, allegedly operated by the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua. He said six people were killed in the strike, describing them as “narcoterrorists.”
The incident has further strained relations between Washington and Caracas, with the Venezuelan government denouncing what it calls “acts of aggression” and warning that US operations in the region could serve as a pretext for attacks on Venezuelan territory.
“The US is acting with total impunity in our waters,” Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement, calling on the international community to condemn the operations.
Covert operations and rising diplomatic tension
Tensions have intensified as reports emerge that United States President Donald Trump has authorized the CIA to carry out covert missions inside Venezuela.
The move, according to intelligence sources cited by local media, forms part of a broader strategy to weaken the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Maduro’s administration has accused Washington of preparing for “military aggression” and vowed to defend its sovereignty. “Venezuela will not tolerate foreign intervention,” the government said in an official statement on Friday.
While US officials maintain that their operations target only transnational criminal organizations, regional analysts warn that the growing military presence risks escalating into a broader confrontation.
“The deployment of the Gerald R. Ford sends a powerful message,” said Latin America analyst María Teresa Romero. “But it also raises the stakes dramatically in an already volatile region.” EFE
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