The United States Navy released, on Thursday night (13), the first images of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, sailing in the Caribbean Sea alongside the destroyers USS Winston Churchill, USS Mahan and USS Bainbridge.
The photos also show attack aircraft and a B-52 Stratofortress bomber flying over the attack group, which reinforces the military escalation ordered by the Donald Trump administration in the region.
The aircraft carrier arrived around Latin America on Tuesday, amid deteriorating relations between Washington and the regime of Nicolás Maduro, in Venezuela.
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The movement is part of operation “Spear of the South”, announced by Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, as a direct offensive against Latin American “narco-terrorism”.
Sources heard by CBS claim that, the day before, the top military brass presented Trump with options for action against Venezuela, including ground bombings. Although no decision was formalized, the announcement of the operation and Gerald Ford’s presence were interpreted as a sign of preparation.
Unusual movement
The almost immediate release of the photos, unusual in sensitive US operations, indicates an explicit show of force. The exact location of the aircraft carrier has not been revealed, but C-2A Greyhound aircraft from the Gerald Ford have been recorded landing in Puerto Rico, suggesting the group is nearby.
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Currently, according to the American press, a possible attack on Venezuelan soil depends only on a legal justification. The deployment of a strike group of up to 90 aircraft represents one of the greatest demonstrations of US military power in the Caribbean in decades.
Direct pressure on Maduro
Since August, Trump has intensified pressure against Maduro by classifying Latin American cartels as terrorist organizations, doubling the reward for the Venezuelan’s capture to US$50 million and reinforcing the sending of ships, F-35 fighters, special operations helicopters and bombers to the Caribbean.
Maduro accuses the US of “inventing a war” to justify military intervention, while Trump claims that the cartels and their allies “are killing American families” and that their days in power “are numbered”.
Behind the scenes, the Wall Street Journal revealed that the Trump administration even mapped out possible targets for attacks on Venezuelan military installations under the argument of combating drug trafficking.
Although Trump has openly denied bombing plans, the arrival of the Gerald Ford and the “Spear of the South” operation increased the climate of uncertainty about the US’s next steps in the region.
