US President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise of ending foreign military interventions, in early September launched a military campaign targeting boats allegedly used to smuggle narcotics, destroying at least 10 vessels in a series of strikes.
But the American military buildup as part of that campaign -- including 10 F-35 stealth warplanes and eight US Navy ships -- has sparked fears in Venezuela that Washington's ultimate goal is the overthrow of President Nicolas Maduro, and the decision to send the carrier is certain to add to those concerns.
Late Friday, Maduro accused the Trump administration of stoking "a new eternal war."
"They promised they would never again get involved in a war, and they are fabricating a war that we are going to prevent," Maduro told state broadcasters.
The US-Venezuela standoff has also pulled in Colombia's Gustavo Petro, a sharp critic of the American strikes who was sanctioned by Washington on Friday for allegedly allowing drug trafficking to flourish.
The deployment of the USS Gerald R Ford and accompanying ships "will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement, referring to transnational criminal organizations.
The carrier announcement came after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said an overnight strike on a boat alleged to be operated by Venezuelan drug trafficking gang Tren de Aragua had killed six people in the Caribbean Sea.
"If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda. Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you," Hegseth said on X.
- 'Inflame South America' -
The latest military action brings the death toll from the US strikes to at least 43, according to an AFP tally based on US figures, but Washington has yet to release evidence that its targets were smuggling narcotics.
Regional tensions have flared as a result of the campaign, with Caracas accusing the United States of plotting to overthrow Maduro, who said earlier this week that Venezuela had 5,000 Russian man-portable surface-to-air missiles to counter US forces.
On Thursday, at least one US B-1B bomber flew over the Caribbean off Venezuela's coast, flight tracking data showed, following a show of force by multiple US B-52 bombers that circled off the country's coast last week.
Colombia's Petro -- who has accused Trump of murder over the strikes on the alleged drug boats -- was sanctioned by the US Treasury on Friday along with his wife and son.
Regional powerhouse Brazil has also weighed in on US actions, with a senior foreign policy advisor telling AFP that the country views a military intervention in Venezuela as unacceptable, fearing it could be damaging for the whole of South America.
"We cannot accept an outside intervention because it will trigger immense resentment," said Celso Amorim, aide to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. "It could inflame South America and lead to radicalization of politics on the whole continent."
Trump meanwhile said Thursday that he did not need a declaration of war from US lawmakers to attack Venezuela or other countries he accuses of involvement in the drug trade, warning that strikes on land are coming.
"The land is going to be next," Trump said, likening drug cartels to the brutal Islamic State jihadist group.
The US standoff with Venezuela: what we know
Washington (AFP) Oct 24, 2025 -
US President Donald Trump has ordered a major military buildup in Latin America that he says is to combat drug trafficking, but which his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro fears is aimed at regime change in Caracas.
The US deployment -- and the deadly strikes on alleged drug traffickers that American forces have carried out -- have fueled fears of wider military conflict and sparked wars of words between Trump and some Latin American leaders.
Below, AFP examines the forces available to Washington and Caracas, the strikes the US has carried out, and the diplomatic fallout that has resulted.
- Military forces -
The United States has deployed 10 F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico as well as eight US Navy ships to the Caribbean: three destroyers, a cruiser, a littoral combat ship and three amphibious assault ships accompanied by a contingent of Marines.
Trump has also ordered the USS Gerald R Ford carrier strike group to the region, a move which will massively increase American firepower there.
And Washington sent at least one B1-B bomber off Venezuela's coast on Thursday, after making a show of force with B-52 bombers that circled near the country for several hours last week.
Venezuela would be massively outgunned in a conflict with the United States.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies estimates that Venezuela's armed forces comprise 123,000 personnel, with an additional 220,000 volunteer militia members made up of Maduro loyalists, though some experts believe the numbers are much lower.
Maduro -- who earlier this week said that Venezuela had 5,000 Russian surface-to-air missiles to counter US forces -- has ordered exercises nationwide and positioned soldiers at the borders amid the heightened tensions with the United States.
Thousands of Venezuelans have also joined a civilian militia in response to Maduro's call for bolstering the cash-strapped country's defenses. Many have taken part in weapons training held at military barracks and in neighborhoods.
- Deadly strikes -
On Trump's orders, US forces began carrying out strikes in early September targeting alleged drug-smuggling boats -- a campaign that has seen the destruction of at least 10 vessels -- nine boats and a semi-submersible -- so far.
The strikes have killed at least 43 people, according to an AFP tally based on US figures, but Washington has yet to release evidence that its targets were smuggling narcotics.
Experts say the summary killings are illegal even if they target confirmed traffickers.
The Pentagon has told Congress that the United States is in "armed conflict" with Latin American drug cartels, designating them as terrorist groups and describing suspected smugglers as "unlawful combatants."
- War of words -
The United States accuses Maduro of leading a drug cartel and is offering a $50 million bounty for his capture. Trump has also said that he authorized covert action against the South American nation.
Maduro has meanwhile pleaded against a conflict with the United States, saying: "No crazy war, please," while his defense minister vowed that the country would fight against the installation of a government "subservient" to the United States.
Other regional countries have also weighed in, with Colombia's Gustavo Petro -- a sharp critic of the strikes -- verbally sparring with Trump, while an aide to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula said the regional powerhouse "cannot accept" an outside intervention in Venezuela.
On Friday, Washington sanctioned Petro, saying he "allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity."
Petro was defiant, posting on social media: "Not one step back and never on my knees."
Related Links
Naval Warfare in the 21st Century
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
