US deploys aircraft carrier group to Latin America amid soaring tensions with Venezuela скачать в хорошем качестве

US deploys aircraft carrier group to Latin America amid soaring tensions with Venezuela

President Donald Trump dramatically escalated a U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean on Friday (October 24) by deploying the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier group to Latin America, a show of force that far exceeds any past counter-narcotics need and represents Washington’s most muscular move yet in the region. The deployment is part of Trump's military buildup in the Caribbean, which includes eight additional warships, a nuclear submarine and F-35 aircraft. It is likely to raise concern in the region about the Trump administration's intent. The deployment marks a significant escalation amid heightened tensions with Venezuela, whose government Washington has long accused of harboring drug traffickers and undermining democratic institutions. "The enhanced U.S. force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere," Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell posted on X. He did not specify when the carrier would be moving to the region, but as of a few days ago, the carrier was traveling via the Strait of Gibraltar and in Europe. 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 U.S. military has carried out 10 strikes against alleged drug vessels, mostly in the Caribbean, since early September, killing about 40 people. While the Pentagon has not given much information, it has said some of those killed were Venezuelan. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly alleged that the U.S. is hoping to drive him from power. 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. Tensions between the United States and Venezuela's neighbor, Colombia, have also spiked in recent days, with Trump accusing Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being an "illegal drug leader" and a "bad guy" - language Petro's government says is offensive. Trump said on Thursday (October 23) that his administration plans to brief the U.S. Congress on operations against drug cartels and that even though he did not need a declaration of war, operations against cartels on land would be next. (Production: Eva Weininger) For more ABS-CBN News videos, click the link below:    • ABS-CBN News   For more News Digital News Raw Cuts, click the link below:    • News Digital Raw Cuts 2025   For more Breaking News & Live Coverage videos, click the link below:    • Breaking News & Live Coverage   For more latest news and analysis from ABS-CBN News videos, click the link below:    • The latest news and analysis from ABS-CBN ...   Subscribe to the ABS-CBN News channel! - http://bit.ly/TheABSCBNNews Watch full episodes on iWantTFC for FREE here: http://iwanttfc.com Visit our website at http://news.abs-cbn.com Facebook:   / abscbnnews   Twitter:   / abscbnnews   Instagram:   / abscbnnews   #USA #Venezuela #ABSCBNNews #Navy #AircraftCarrier