WASHINGTON, Nov 11 (Reuters) – The Gerald Ford aircraft carrier strike group has moved into the Latin America region, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, dramatically escalating a military buildup that has deepened tensions with Venezuela.
President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of the Ford last month, adding to the eight warships, a nuclear submarine and F-35 aircraft already in the Caribbean.
The Ford, which was commissioned in 2017, is the United States’ newest aircraft carrier and the world’s largest, with more than 5,000 sailors aboard.
The Pentagon confirmed the arrival, which was first reported by Reuters, saying in a statement it would help “disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations.”
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly alleged that the U.S. buildup is designed to drive him from power, opens new tab.
Washington in August doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, accusing him of links to drug trafficking and criminal groups that Maduro denies.
The U.S. military has carried out at least 19 strikes so far against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and off the Pacific coasts of Latin America, killing at least 76 people.
When the U.S. first announced the Ford’s deployment, Maduro warned that if the U.S. ever intervened in the country, “millions of men and women with rifles would march across the country.”
Venezuela is deploying weapons, including decades-old Russian-made equipment, and is planning to mount a guerrilla-style resistance or sow chaos in the event of a U.S. air or ground attack, according to sources with knowledge of the efforts and planning documents seen by Reuters.
Tensions between the United States and Venezuela’s neighbor, Colombia, have also spiked in recent weeks, with Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro trading barbs.
Trump has called Petro an “illegal drug leader” and imposed sanctions on him. The leftist Colombian president has accused the U.S. of committing “murder” with its strikes.
RISING MILITARY READINESS
The supporting ships, such as the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser Normandy, Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers Thomas Hudner, Ramage, Carney, and Roosevelt, include surface-to-air, surface-to-surface, and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
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