Aircraft carrier arrives in the Caribbean in major buildup near Venezuela
| Washington
The United States鈥� most advanced aircraft carrier arrived in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday in a display of U.S. military power, raising questions about what the new influx of troops and weaponry could signal for the Trump administration鈥檚 drug enforcement campaign in South America.
The arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford, announced by the U.S. military in a news release, marks a major moment in what the Trump administration insists is a counterdrug operation but has been seen as an escalating pressure tactic against Venezuelan President Nicol谩s Maduro. Since early September, U.S. strikes have killed at least 80 people in 20 attacks on small boats accused of transporting drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.
The Ford rounds off the largest buildup of U.S. firepower in the region in generations, bringing the total number of troops to around 12,000 on nearly a dozen Navy ships in what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has dubbed 鈥淥peration Southern Spear.鈥�
The Ford鈥檚 carrier strike group, which includes squadrons of fighter jets and guided-missile destroyers, transited the Anegada Passage near the British Virgin Islands on Sunday morning, the Navy said in a statement.
Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, who commands the Ford鈥檚 carrier strike group, said it will bolster an already large force of American warships to 鈥減rotect our nation鈥檚 security and prosperity against narco-terrorism in the Western Hemisphere.鈥�
The administration has insisted that the buildup of warships is focused on stopping the flow of drugs into the U.S., but it has released no evidence to support its assertions that those killed in the boats were 鈥渘arcoterrorists.鈥� Mr. Trump has indicated military action would expand beyond strikes by sea, saying the U.S. would 鈥渟top the drugs coming in by land.鈥�
The U.S. has long used aircraft carriers to pressure and deter aggression by other nations because their warplanes can strike targets deep inside another country. Some experts say the Ford is ill-suited to fighting cartels, but it could be an effective instrument of intimidation for Mr.聽Maduro in a push to get him to step down.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the United States does not recognize Mr. Maduro, who was widely accused of stealing last year鈥檚 election, as Venezuela鈥檚 legitimate leader. Secretary Rubio has called Venezuela鈥檚 government a 鈥渢ransshipment organization鈥� that openly cooperates with those trafficking drugs.
Mr. Maduro, who faces charges of narcoterrorism in the U.S., has said the U.S. government is 鈥渇abricating鈥� a war against him. Venezuela鈥檚 government recently touted a 鈥渕assive鈥� mobilization of troops and civilians to defend against possible U.S. attacks.
Mr. Trump has justified the attacks on drug boats by saying the U.S. is in 鈥渁rmed conflict鈥� with drug cartels while claiming the boats are operated by foreign terror organizations.
He has faced pushback from leaders in the region, the U.N. human rights chief and U.S. lawmakers, including Republicans, who have pressed for more information on who is being targeted and the legal justification for the boat strikes.
Senate Republicans, however, recently voted to reject legislation that would have put a check on Mr. Trump鈥檚 ability to launch an attack against Venezuela without congressional authorization.
Experts disagree on whether or not American warplanes may be used to strike land targets inside Venezuela. Either way, the 100,000-ton warship is sending a message.
鈥淭his is the anchor of what it means to have U.S. military power once again in Latin America,鈥� said Elizabeth Dickinson, the International Crisis Group鈥檚 senior analyst for the Andes region. 鈥淎nd it has raised a lot of anxieties in Venezuela but also throughout the region. I think everyone is watching this with sort of bated breath to see just how willing the U.S. is to really use military force.鈥�
This story was reported by the Associated Press.
