US carrier deployment stirs Venezuela and region

At President Donald Trump’s behest, the $13 billion USS Gerald R. Ford and its escorts are heading to the Caribbean for a major anti-drug mission. The deployment, described by analysts as unprecedented for counternarcotics, follows operations that sank four smuggling boats and left 14 dead, amid legal concerns and minimal congressional oversight. Experts suspect a broader aim focused on Venezuela, where Washington rejects Nicolas Maduro’s 2025 election and a covert CIA operation was approved. Maduro denounces a grave provocation and orders coastal drills, while regional governments weigh responses and resources loom large in the standoff.

Reviewed by JQJO team

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