U.S. Increases Military Presenceโ Near Venezuela โAmidst โDrug Traffickingโฃ Accusations and Political Tensions
Washington D.C. – November 17, โ2025 – The โUnited States has significantly escalated its military โขpostureโฃ near Venezuela with the arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R.โค Ford, โคaccompanied by Navy ships that have been stationed off the โคVenezuelan coast for months. This deployment coincides with โฃjoint military exercises โinvolving U.S. Marines from the 22nd Expeditionary Unit and renewed training โขof U.S. Army troops in Panama, signaling a heightened โfocus on Latin America.
The Trump administration has justifiedโ the increasedโข military activityโค as a response to the flow of โขillegal drugs into the United States, โฃalleging that Venezuela serves as a key transit point for narcotics โคdestined for Europe and North America. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll announced the reactivation ofโ the โฃU.S. jungle โschool in Panama,stating theโ military would be โpreparedโ to act on โขthe directionโค of President Trump โand Defenseโฃ Secretary Peteโค Hegseth.
While the administration maintains the focus is on disrupting drug trafficking,it has โnot publicly released evidence linking recent incidents – involving the destruction of boats at seaโ – to “narcoterrorists,” as claimed by President Trump. Trump hasโข also indicated โa potential expansion of military operations to target drugโ trafficking โฃroutes by land.
the arrival of the USS Ford, a 100,000-ton warship, is widely seenโฃ as a presentation ofโค U.S. military power. Experts note that while the carrier may not โขbe ideallyโค suited for combating cartels, it โคserves as a potent tool for intimidationโ and could be used to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolรกs Maduro to step down. The U.S. does not recognise Maduroโฃ as the โlegitimate leader of Venezuela, following accusations of electoral fraud in the previous year’sโ election, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has characterized the Venezuelan government as a “transshipment organisation” complicit in drug trafficking.
Venezuela’s government has vehemently condemned theโข U.S. actions,โ labeling the training exercises an act of aggression. maduro, โwho faces narcoterrorism charges in the U.S., claimsโข the U.S. is “fabricating” aโ war against his country and has called for the Venezuelan peopelโ to defend their homeland. The government recently announced a “massive” mobilization โคof troops andโค civilians, alongside rallies promoting increased membership and policy support for the ruling socialist party.
The โadministration’s justification for โthe naval strikes rests on โthe claim of being in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and asserting that the targeted boats were operated by foreign terrorist organizations.โ This stance has drawn criticism from regional leaders, the U.N. human rights chief, and some U.S. lawmakers who are demanding greater transparency regarding the targets and legal basisโ for the operations.
Despite this pushback, โSenate Republicans recently rejected legislationโ that would have โฃrequired congressional authorization before any U.S. military attack against Venezuela.
The potential for U.S. warplanes to strike targets within Venezuela remains a subject of debate among experts. However, โelizabeth Dickinson, a senior analyst for the Andes โregion at the International Crisis group, emphasized the significance of the USS Ford’s presence. “This is the anchor of โฃwhat it means to have U.S.militaryโ power once again in โคLatinโ America,” she stated,โฃ adding that the situation is being โคclosely watched throughout the region with โconsiderable anxiety.