The United States has ordered its largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the Caribbean amid a major military buildup in the region.
CNN reported that the move, directed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, signals an escalation in Washington’s pressure campaign against Venezuela.
According to Pentagon Press Secretary Sean Parnell, the Gerald R. Ford strike group currently stationed near Split, Croatia is being redeployed to “dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narco-terrorism.”
The operation aims to disrupt drug trafficking and alleged cartel activity across the Caribbean basin.
The deployment, however, comes amid growing speculation that President Donald Trump’s administration is weighing potential military action against Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro.
Although officials maintain the mission is focused on counter-narcotics operations, recent intelligence briefings and statements from senior defense officials suggest a more aggressive strategic posture in the region.
The Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest warship and the first of its class, is expected to take several days to arrive in the Caribbean.
Once in position, it will join a fleet of destroyers, surveillance aircraft, and special operations units already active in anti-smuggling patrols across the area.
Hegseth announced earlier Friday that U.S. forces had carried out an overnight strike against a suspected drug cartel vessel, killing six people.
The strike marked the tenth such attack in the past month, bringing the total number of deaths from U.S.-led operations in the Caribbean to 43.
Washington insiders say the show of force reflects Trump’s broader regional strategy to weaken Maduro’s hold on power and curb growing Russian and Iranian influence in Latin America.
As tensions mount, diplomatic analysts warn the deployment could provoke a strong response from Caracas, which has already accused the U.S. of “aggression and imperial interference.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
