Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused the United States of “fabricating a war” after Washington dramatically escalated its military presence in the Caribbean by deploying the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the region.
The nuclear-powered supercarrier, capable of carrying up to 90 aircraft, was ordered by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to move from the Mediterranean to the US Southern Command area of responsibility, which includes Central and South America. The move marks a significant intensification of a US military build-up that Washington insists is aimed at targeting drug traffickers.
President Maduro, however, slammed the enhanced military presence, asserting that the true goal is to destabilize his government. Speaking to state media on Friday, the Venezuelan leader said:
“They promised they would never again get involved in a war, and they are fabricating a war.”
He also pleaded in English, “No crazy war, please please please,” warning US President Donald Trump to avoid escalating tensions.
US Justifies Operations as Anti-Narcotics Campaign
The Trump administration has justified the increasing deployment—which includes B-52 bombers, F-35 fighter jets, other warships, drones, and CIA operatives—as a comprehensive campaign to combat drug trafficking organizations (TCOs). Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated that the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford and its accompanying strike group “will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs.”
The carrier deployment followed a US strike on a vessel allegedly operated by the Venezuelan drug trafficking gang Tren de Aragua, which Defence Secretary Hegseth claimed killed six people.
Regional Concerns Over Escalation
The US operations, however, have drawn criticism and fueled speculation that the anti-drug campaign is a pretext for an intimidation effort or even regime change against President Maduro, who faces drug trafficking charges in the US.
Dr. Christopher Sabatini, a senior fellow for Latin America at Chatham House, told the BBC that while an invasion is unlikely, the military show of force is likely intended to “strike fear” within Venezuela’s military and Maduro’s inner circle. The deployment of the Gerald R. Ford, with its dozens of F-18 Super Hornet jets, significantly increases the offensive firepower available to the US, deepening regional concerns over a potential shift in military strategy from interdicting drug boats to striking land targets.
