The U.S. is making its biggest show of force in the Caribbean in a generation. At the same time, U.S. pressure on Venezuela escalated again.
The Navy says the USS Gerald R. Ford, the most advanced aircraft carrier in the fleet, crossed into the Caribbean Sea on Sunday.
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The Trump administration calls it a counter-drug mission, but experts say it’s a direct warning to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
New foreign terrorist organization
Just hours after the USS Ford arrived, the U.S. turned up the heat even more.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the U.S. will designate Cartel De Los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization.
He says the cartel, allegedly led by Maduro and top figures in his regime, is responsible for “terrorist violence” across the hemisphere and massive drug trafficking into the U.S.
The designation takes effect Nov. 24.
Potential talks with Maduro
And Sunday night, Trump added a new twist, saying the U.S. may be having talks with Maduro, claiming the Venezuelan leader appears to want to engage.
“We may be discussing. We may be having some discussions with Maduro and we’ll see how that turns out. They would like to talk,” Trump said.
The U.S. has already carried out strikes on at least 22 vessels in the region over the last two months.
The latest strike happened over the weekend. A drone hit a boat in the Eastern Pacific, killing three men on board.
So far, the administration hasn’t released any evidence that those killed were “narco-terrorists.”
Some key allies, including the U.K. and Colombia, have stopped sharing intelligence due to legal concerns about the U.S. operations.
The Ford, along with fighter jets and guided missile destroyers, is now part of what Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is calling “Operation Southern Spear.”
Commanders say it’s designed to protect the U.S. from “Narco-terrorism.”
SOUTHCOM says the Ford strike group, comprised of 4,000 sailors, dozens of fighter jets and three warships, is now joining a growing U.S. naval force already positioned off Venezuela.
