The US Navy’s flagship USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group arrived in the Caribbean Sea Sunday, bolstering American forces near Venezuela as President Donald Trump’s administration intensifies a campaign against transnational drug trafficking, the Pentagon confirmed.
The deployment, under US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), includes the world’s largest aircraft carrier—carrying over 4,000 sailors and dozens of F/A-18 Super Hornets—plus two guided-missile destroyers, support vessels, and surveillance aircraft. SOUTHCOM Commander Adm. Alvin Holsey stated it follows Trump’s “directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland.”
Dubbed “Operation Southern Spear,” the move adds to 15,000 US personnel already in the region, including troops in Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Panama, and Trinidad and Tobago. Since September, US forces have conducted 20 strikes on suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing at least 80 alleged traffickers—though no evidence has been released verifying their roles. Experts label these “extrajudicial killings,” even if targeting criminals.
The buildup—largest since the 1989 Panama invasion—fuels speculation of intervention against President Nicolás Maduro, whom Washington brands a narco-trafficker with a $50 million bounty. Maduro decried it as “imperial threats,” mobilizing forces for “prolonged resistance.” Trump, who “sort of made up my mind” on Venezuela last week, denied invasion plans but hinted at land strikes.
The State Department designated Maduro-linked Cartel de los Soles a foreign terrorist organization Sunday, escalating sanctions. Regional leaders at the CELAC summit condemned “use or threat of force” violating international law.
As the Ford—cut short from Mediterranean duties—patrols, the operation risks broader conflict in a hemisphere Trump vows to secure through “unwavering commitment.” De-escalation via diplomacy remains urgent to avert humanitarian fallout.
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