USS Gerald R. Ford Deployment Escalates Regional Tensions
The United States’ decision to send the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s biggest aircraft carrier, to the Caribbean has made tensions between Venezuela and the US even worse. The huge ship can hold up to 90 planes, which is a big increase in the number of US troops near Venezuelan seas.
The Pentagon says that the deployment is meant to help the US Southern Command, which is in charge of fighting drug trafficking and breaking up criminal networks that cross national borders in Latin America. Venezuelan officials, on the other hand, see the action as a direct challenge to the country’s sovereignty and stability in the area.
Maduro Warns of US Attempt to ‘Fabricate a New War’
President Nicolás Maduro said on TV that the US was “fabricating a new eternal war” to justify getting involved in other countries’ affairs. Maduro declared on Venezuelan official TV, “They promised they would never again get involved in a war, and now they are making one.”
The Venezuelan leader’s comments come after US President Donald Trump said that more troops, including planes and ships, would be sent to the area. Trump has long said that Maduro is in command of a drug-trafficking group, something that the Venezuelan president has always denied.
US Conducts Air Strikes as Part of Anti-Narcotics Campaign
Since early September, the US Navy has hit 10 ships that they think are involved in narcotics trafficking in the Caribbean. The Pentagon said these activities are aimed at criminal groups like Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan-based group that the US State Department just labeled a terrorist group.
Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of Defense, said on Friday that six people who were called “narco-terrorists” were murdered in the most recent attack. Critics, on the other hand, say that the increasing military presence is much more than what is needed to fight drug activities, which raises concerns about a larger geopolitical goal.
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Trump Signals Possible Ground Operations in Venezuela
President Trump has intimated that the campaign would soon go beyond sea operations. He stated at the White House that the US is “looking at land now” after saying that it has “stopped all drugs from coming in by sea.”
Analysts see these comments as an indication that military action on the ground may be being considered, maybe against cocaine factories and trafficking routes in Venezuela. CNN says that these proposals are still being looked at, but there has been no formal confirmation yet.
Regional and Legal Backlash Over US Strikes
Latin American politicians have criticized the US air strikes and naval deployment and raised doubts about whether they are acceptable under international law. Both Democrats and Republicans in the US Congress have expressed worries about the president’s ability to order these kinds of attacks without getting permission from Congress.
Twenty-five Democratic senators wrote a letter to the White House on September 10 criticizing the administration for acting without enough proof or legal grounds. Rand Paul, a Republican senator, also said that the Constitution says that Congress must agree to military measures that are aggressive.
Experts Warn of Constitutional and Geopolitical Consequences
Brian Finucane, a former lawyer for the US State Department, told the BBC that what is happening now is a constitutional crisis. He remarked, “The US Congress has the most power over the use of military force.” “That control has been taken over by the White House.”
Dr. Christopher Sabatini from Chatham House said that the military buildup could be meant to scare Venezuela’s armed forces instead of starting a frontal invasion. “It’s about making Maduro’s inner circle afraid,” he added. “This is strategic signaling, not necessarily getting ready for war.”
Growing Fears of Regime Change and Instability
Venezuela doesn’t play a big part in the drug traffic in the area, but many people think that the underlying goal of the US escalation is to replace the government. Since the 2024 election, the US and a number of other Western countries have not recognized Maduro’s presidency because they thought it was rigged.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is currently in the Caribbean, and more planes have been spotted over Puerto Rico. People are worried that the situation might lead to a regional conflict. Maduro has said that he will protect Venezuela’s sovereignty and that Washington is pushing the region toward another “unnecessary war.”
