US Deploys Largest Warship to Caribbean Amid Maduro's War Fabrication Claims

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused the United States of "fabricating a war" following the deployment of the USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, to the Caribbean, marking a significant escalation of U.S. military presence in the region. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the carrier to move from the Mediterranean to the U.S. Southern Command’s area to support operations targeting drug trafficking networks, which have included ten airstrikes on vessels allegedly linked to criminal organizations like the Tren de Aragua gang. Maduro condemned this military buildup as contradictory to U.S. promises to avoid war and suggested it was an intimidation tactic aimed at destabilizing his government. The Trump administration asserts these measures are part of an intensified "war on drugs," but critics and some members of Congress view them as a show of force intended to instill fear within Venezuela's leadership, with experts like Dr. Christopher Sabatini labeling the campaign as a form of regime change signaling. The Pentagon states the carrier's deployment will enhance efforts to disrupt narcotics trafficking and dismantle transnational criminal organizations, though the legality and motives of these operations have sparked regional condemnation and legal scrutiny. This military escalation reflects increasing tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela amid ongoing disputes over drug trafficking and governance in the region.