Attention Focused on Possible Direct Military Action
The United States has raised its military pressure on Venezuela and the regime of President Nicolas Maduro to the highest level by deploying the world's most powerful aircraft carrier, the Gerald R. Ford, to the Caribbean Sea on the 16th (local time).
On this day, the U.S. Navy announced through a press release issued by the Gerald R. Ford Aircraft Carrier Public Affairs Office on its website that "the world's largest Ford-class aircraft carrier strike group entered the Caribbean Sea on the 16th after passing through the Anegada Passage." The statement added, "This maritime operation within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) was carried out after former Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth instructed the carrier strike group to support President (Donald Trump)'s orders to dismantle transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and respond to narco-terrorism for homeland defense."
The U.S. Navy stated, "This carrier strike group is set to join the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and the embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit, which have already been deployed to the Caribbean Sea as part of the 'Southern Spear' Joint Task Force, established to repel and dismantle criminal organizations exploiting our contiguous borders and maritime areas." The Navy also reported that the Ford carrier strike group will support Southern Command operations, Department of Defense-directed missions, the prevention of illegal drug trafficking, and the President's top priority of homeland defense.
According to the Associated Press, with the deployment of the Ford carrier strike group, the number of U.S. Navy vessels participating in Operation Southern Spear now totals over ten, with a force of 12,000 personnel. This buildup of military power in the Caribbean by the Trump administration marks the largest troop deployment since the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989.
The Trump administration, citing the need to block drug inflows, has deployed strategic assets such as warships and fighter jets to the Caribbean Sea and has continued operations against suspected drug trafficking vessels. By sending the world's most powerful carrier strike group off the coast of Venezuela, the administration has escalated its show of force and maximized pressure on the Maduro regime. President Trump has repeatedly criticized the Maduro regime as a dictatorship that encourages or assists international criminal organizations based in Venezuela in smuggling drugs into the United States.
On the 13th, Secretary Hegseth stated regarding Operation Southern Spear, "We are defending our homeland, driving out narco-terrorists from our hemisphere, and protecting our country from drugs that kill our people."
This carrier deployment has raised questions about whether the Trump administration will take direct military action against Venezuela. The deployment of the carrier strike group means that fighter jets could strike deep inside Venezuelan territory.
There have been reports that key officials of the Trump administration have recently held a series of closed-door meetings at the White House to review possible military operations against Venezuela. On the 14th, President Trump also stated that he had "somewhat made up his mind" regarding the next steps targeting Venezuela.
The Associated Press reported that, according to some experts, while the Ford carrier strike group may not be suitable for combat against drug cartels, it could serve as a means of threatening and urging President Maduro to step down.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
