Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has accused the United States of “fabricating war” as America deploys the USS Gerald R. Ford—the world’s largest aircraft carrier—and its strike group to the Caribbean, near Venezuela’s coast. The move, announced by the Pentagon on October 24, 2025, marks a significant escalation in U.S. military presence in Latin America amid rising tensions with Caracas centered on accusations of drug trafficking and geopolitical rivalries.
The Gerald R. Ford, the lead ship of its class, is equipped with a nuclear reactor and can carry more than 75 military aircraft, including F-18 Super Hornets and advanced radar aircraft like the E-2 Hawkeye. It also possesses a formidable arsenal of missiles, such as the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles that counter drones and aircraft threats. This carrier strike group, including five accompanying destroyers, is being deployed to the U.S. Southern Command Area to strengthen the U.S. ability to detect, monitor, and disrupt illegal activities, according to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.
President Maduro condemned the deployment at a recent press conference in Caracas, rejecting U.S. narratives of anti-drug operations. “The United States is fabricating a war to justify its military buildup,” Maduro said, framing the deployment as a threat to Venezuela’s sovereignty and peace. He referred to the U.S. naval presence, which includes a nuclear submarine and a flotilla of eight additional warships, as the “greatest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years.” Maduro insisted that Venezuela was in a state of “maximum readiness,” noting that more than eight million Venezuelans have enlisted as militia reservists to defend the country.
The U.S. insists the military buildup aims to combat narcotics trafficking through the increasingly trafficked Caribbean routes, accusing Maduro of leading the notorious “Cartel de los Soles,” a cocaine trafficking cartel. The Trump administration has intensified its crackdown with multiple military strikes in the region, including a deadly strike in early September that destroyed a boat allegedly smuggling drugs to the U.S., killing 11 people. Washington has also deployed thousands of troops, F-35 stealth fighters, and other assets to the Caribbean over recent weeks.
Experts describe the U.S. deployment as a dramatic show of force reminiscent of Cold War-era gunboat diplomacy, signaling Washington’s determination to pressure Maduro, who won a disputed third term in the 2024 elections not recognized internationally. However, analysts caution that despite the escalating military posturing, direct conflict remains unlikely at present, as the U.S. continues to frame its operations as law enforcement against transnational criminal organizations.
On the ground, this military tension exacerbates Venezuela’s precarious social and economic conditions, already strained by years of political crisis, sanctions, and dwindling oil revenues. The mobilization of militias and increased military vigilance affect civilian life, contributing to fears of wider instability in the region.
Moving forward, the U.S. government plans to continue its military campaign in the Caribbean with a focus on drug interdiction and disrupting Venezuelan narcotics networks, while Venezuela vows to defend its sovereignty against what it calls U.S. aggression. The international community watches closely for how this maritime standoff might evolve, with concerns about regional security and potential diplomatic openings.
