Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro dramatically accused the US of “fabricating a new eternal war,” after the US deployed the world’s largest warship toward the Caribbean region. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the nuclear-powered USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier, which carries up to 90 aircraft, to move from the Mediterranean toward the Southern Command area.
Consequently, Maduro told state media that the US “promised they would never again get involved in a war, and they are fabricating a war.” The deployment of this massive carrier marks a significant, undeniable escalation in the US military buildup in the turbulent region.
US Rationale and Recent Strikes
The US military has significantly increased its presence in the Caribbean, recently sending warships, a nuclear submarine, and advanced F-35 aircraft for major operations. The administration claims this substantial effort constitutes a campaign specifically designed to successfully target drug traffickers operating in sensitive international waters.
Furthermore, the US has already carried out ten airstrikes on vessels it alleges belong to transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) since early September. Hegseth stated that one recent operation in the Caribbean Sea killed “six male narco-terrorists,” who were allegedly members of the notorious Tren de Aragua criminal organization. These strikes have predictably drawn condemnation across the region and sparked intense debates questioning their legal authorization and execution.
The Regime Change Objective
Although the Trump administration insists it is conducting a war on drug trafficking, experts and Congress members believe the real objective is intimidation and government destabilization. Dr. Christopher Sabatini, a senior fellow at the Chatham House think tank, clearly explained to the BBC that the deployment is fundamentally “about regime change.”
Sabatini clarified that the powerful military build-up does not necessarily signal an imminent invasion but instead intends to “strike fear” in the Venezuelan military. Specifically, the hope is that this palpable fear will subsequently prompt Maduro’s inner circle to ultimately move against the long-time American foe.
The Pentagon confirmed the USS Gerald R Ford carrier will deploy to the US Southern Command, covering Central and South America, as well as the entire Caribbean Sea, emphasizing the additional forces will significantly “enhance and augment existing capabilities” to disrupt sophisticated narcotics trafficking operations.
The carrier’s presence provides critical resources to potentially start conducting new airstrikes against targets located directly on the ground. Trump repeatedly raised the possibility of initiating what he called “land action” in Venezuela, asserting that the US had already secured strong control of the sea. Consequently, CNN reports that the President is actively considering targeting cocaine facilities and drug trafficking routes inside Venezuela.
Congressional Pushback
The strikes against alleged drug traffickers have also sparked a constitutional crisis concerning presidential authority over military force. Both Democratic and Republican members of the US Congress have recently raised serious concerns about the legality of these specific strikes and the president’s power to unilaterally order them.
Twenty-five Democratic senators wrote to the White House alleging the administration struck a vessel “without evidence” that its cargo or individuals posed a direct threat to the US. Republican Senator Rand Paul forcefully argued that such significant strikes require explicit congressional approval, fundamentally challenging the executive branch’s military reach.
However, Trump maintained his legal authority, pointing out that he already designated the Tren de Aragua organization a terrorist group. Brian Finucane, a former State Department lawyer, argued that the White House has usurped control over the use of military force, which legally belongs to the US Congress.
