The world’s largest warship, the American aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, has arrived in the Caribbean. According to a statement from the US Navy, he will join a fleet tasked with fighting criminal groups in the area. Venezuela sees the United States’ strong military presence in the Caribbean as intimidation, and tensions are rising between the two countries.
The move of the aircraft carrier from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, according to the US armed forces, confirms the determination with which the US defends its own security. The aircraft carrier arrived a few days ago in the broader area of responsibility of the US military’s Southern Command, which includes the Caribbean Sea and the waters adjacent to Central and South America.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth subsequently announced the start of the military operation Southern Spear. Hegseth, whom the administration of President Donald Trump now designates as Secretary of War, did not disclose the specific actions or the location of this operation.
In early September, the US launched targeted strikes in international waters of the Caribbean Sea against ships whose crews it says are smuggling drugs. Later they also attacked vessels in the Pacific Ocean. US President Donald Trump justifies the attacks by saying that, according to him, the United States is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, which Washington describes as foreign terrorist organizations.
The Pentagon previously confirmed that the military had carried out 20 attacks so far this week, killing a total of 79 people. The US action is drawing international criticism. The United Nations has called on the US government to exercise restraint. The US government blames the gangs, which it says also originate from Venezuela.
Authoritarian Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro says the US military buildup is aimed at toppling him. In August, Washington doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million (more than a billion crowns). They accuse him of links to the drug trade and criminal groups, which the left-wing leader denies.
