Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused the United States of deliberately provoking conflict in the Caribbean, following Washington’s decision to deploy what is considered the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the region.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, capable of launching up to 90 aircraft, has been redirected from the Mediterranean on orders from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. The move marks a significant escalation in the US military buildup near Venezuelan waters.
“They are manufacturing a new, endless war,” Maduro said during a televised address. “They claimed they would stay out of foreign wars, yet now they are inventing one.”
In recent weeks, the US has intensified its presence in the Caribbean, deploying warships, an F-35 squadron and even a nuclear submarine. The White House says the operations are part of a renewed mission to dismantle drug trafficking networks.
American forces have already conducted multiple airstrikes on vessels allegedly linked to criminal groups. Hegseth announced that a recent strike killed six suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang, a powerful Venezuelan crime organisation. The raids, however, have triggered regional backlash, with critics questioning the legal basis for US military actions in another nation’s sphere of influence.
Maduro has long been at odds with Washington, particularly under President Donald Trump, who accuses the Venezuelan leader of running a narco-state—an allegation Maduro rejects. Analysts suggest that the current military pressure is aimed less at cartels and more at Maduro’s political survival.
“This is classic regime change signalling,” said Dr. Christopher Sabatini of Chatham House. “The goal is to intimidate the Venezuelan military and Maduro’s inner circle—not necessarily to invade, but to rattle them.”
The Pentagon says the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford to the US Southern Command zone—which oversees operations in Latin America and the Caribbean—will strengthen efforts to dismantle transnational criminal organisations.
