The most advanced aircraft carrier in the nation crossed into the Caribbean Sea on Sunday, the U.S. Navy said, marking a major buildup in the region.
The arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford marks a major moment in what the Trump administration says is a counterdrug operation but has been seen as an escalating pressure tactic against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The U.S. has asserted that Maduro is complicit with armed criminal gangs that smuggle drugs into the U.S., allegations that Maduro has rejected. And over the last two months, the U.S. military has conducted strikes against at least 22 vessels it alleges were ferrying drugs from South America to the U.S., killing at least 83 people.
“Through unwavering commitment and the precise use of our forces, we stand ready to combat the transnational threats that seek to destabilize our region,” Adm. Alvin Holsey, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said Sunday in a statement announcing the USS Ford’s arrival in the Caribbean Sea.
“The USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group’s deployment represents a critical step in reinforcing our resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and the safety of the American Homeland,” he added. Southern Command is the primary combatant unit for operations in the Caribbean and South America.
The Ford rounds off the largest buildup of U.S. firepower in the region in generations, in what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has dubbed Operation Southern Spear. The Ford’s 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.
John Clark / AP 
Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, who commands the Ford’s carrier strike group, said it will bolster an already large force of American warships to “protect our nation’s security and prosperity against narco-terrorism in the Western Hemisphere.”
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 “narco-terrorists.”
President Trump said Friday that he’s “sort of” decided how to proceed on Venezuela, as top officials weigh potential military operations in the Latin American country. “I sort of have made up my mind” about the administration’s next steps in Venezuela, he told CBS News aboard Air Force One, but “I can’t tell you what it would be.”
Top Trump administration officials, military and senior staff gathered at the White House for at least the third day in a row on Friday to discuss possible military operations in Venezuela, according to sources familiar with the matter. Vice President JD Vance, Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were among those who spoke with Mr. Trump at the White House on Friday, the sources said.
Venezuela was also discussed as part of the president’s daily intelligence briefing on Wednesday. CBS News has previously reported that Hegseth, Caine and other military officials presented Mr. Trump on Wednesday with options for potential operations in Venezuela in the coming days, including possible strikes on land.
Meanwhile, Venezuela announced Tuesday that it was launching a massive military exercise across the country, reportedly involving some 200,000 forces.
Many people both inside Venezuela, including Maduro himself, and observers outside the country believe the increased U.S. military pressure is aimed at forcing Maduro out of office.
When asked in a recent interview with “60 Minutes” if Maduro’s “days were numbered,” Mr. Trump responded, “I would say yeah. I think so, yeah.” Mr. Trump last month also confirmed that he had authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela.
The president has justified the attacks on drug boats by saying the U.S. is in “armed conflict” 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 lawmakers, including some Republicans, who have pressed for more information on who is being targeted and the legal justification for the boat strikes.
Senate Republicans recently voted to reject legislation that would have put a check on Mr. Trump’s ability to launch an attack against Venezuela without congressional authorization. Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only Republicans to support the resolution, which failed in a 49-51 vote.
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, one expert said.
“This is the anchor of what it means to have U.S. military power once again in Latin America,” Elizabeth Dickinson, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst for the Andes region, told The Associated Press. “And 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.”
