Donald Trump’s government has drastically increased military pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s regime since September. Something that caught attention in recent days was the presence of the elite Night Stalkers group near the Venezuelan coast.
This Friday (24), Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the sending of a strike group to the Caribbean Sea, which includes an aircraft carrier, warships and combat aircraft, signaling an expansion of the ongoing military campaign in the region. So far, the Pentagon has also mobilized more than six thousand soldiers for the mission.
All this movement, which Trump promised to expand in his war against drug cartels, has generated unprecedented disturbance at the top of the Chavista dictatorship.
On this day, the War Department announced the tenth attack on vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, near the coast of Colombia.
What is known about US mobilization in the Caribbean
Since the start of operations in international waters, the Trump administration has ordered the deployment of at least eight U.S. Navy warships to the Caribbean region, including three destroyers, three amphibious assault ships, a cruiser and a littoral combat ship adapted for operations in coastal waters. Furthermore, a submarine USS Newport News also patrols the region.
This Friday, the Pentagon announced that it is deploying the most advanced aircraft carrier in the United States Navy – and in the world -, currently stationed in the Mediterranean, to the Caribbean, the USS Gerald R. Ford. The aircraft carrier will be accompanied by dozens of other fighter and surveillance aircraft, as well as other warships, according to authorities. Wall Street Journal.
The entry of the USS Gerald R. Ford into operations is the strongest sign yet that Trump will continue with land attacks, as he assured on Thursday. The aircraft carrier allows the military to carry out air attacks more quickly and shorten the distance that planes would have to travel to reach land targets.
The day before, the Wall Street Journal had already revealed that the United States deployed Air Force B-1 bombers near Venezuela. In total, two B-1 Lancers left a base in Texas heading to the South American country, despite remaining in international airspace.
These aircraft have the ability to fly at supersonic speeds and carry up to 34 tons of bombs, more than other bombers present in the US Army. Among its functions is to carry out maritime surveillance.
The US Air Force and Marines had already carried out demonstrations of force exercises last week with B-52 bombers and F-35B fighters. The actions took place near an island off the coast of Venezuela.
The Pentagon also deployed MQ-9 Reaper drones in the region, known for precision attacks and advanced surveillance, and a squadron of F-35 stealth fighters, difficult to detect by radar and capable of carrying out attacks from land and air.
The United States also scheduled military exercises starting on the 30th in Trinidad and Tobago. In addition to the demonstration of military force, Trump authorized the CIA to act inside Venezuela to weaken the dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro, which has changed the routine of the Chavista top brass.
In response to American actions, the leader of the Venezuelan regime announced on Thursday that the Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB), police and members of the Bolivarian Militia will carry out military exercises that will last 72 hours amid the United States naval mobilization in the Caribbean Sea.
In statements broadcast on the state channel VTV, Maduro said he gave the order to activate all military mechanisms “immediately” to defend “points of action” along the entire coast of Venezuela, from the state of Zulia (on the border with Colombia) to Sucre (near Trinidad and Tobago). The dictator also boasted of having five thousand Russian missiles at Caracas’ disposal.
