After the relocation of the world’s largest warship to Latin America and attacks on suspected drug smuggling vessels in Caribbean Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth announces military operation. This mission defended the homeland and protected the United States from narcotics, Hegseth, who was named Secretary of War by the US government, wrote in Platform X. He named the operation “Southern Spear.”
The US secretary did not mention the attack or its specific location. The military operation was led by a joint task force and the US Southern Command whose area of operations includes the Caribbean Sea and the waters bordering Central and South America.
Many died after attacks on ships
That United States of America justifying the military presence in the waters around Latin America with the fight against transnational criminal organizations and drug trafficking. In recent weeks, the US military has repeatedly attacked ships in the Caribbean and Pacific that, according to the US, were laden with drugs. Dozens of people died. This US action received international criticism, also because the US government did not provide a legal basis for its action.
Tensions with Venezuela
The US Navy announced a few days ago that the world’s largest aircraft carrier, “USS Gerald R. Ford”, has reached the US Southern Command area of operations. The warship came from Pentagon withdrawn from the Mediterranean.
Due to increasing tensions between the US and Venezuela, there has been speculation regarding the real reason for deploying the aircraft carrier to the region.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has accused Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro of being involved in drug smuggling into the US. Not only does Venezuela’s authoritarian government view the accumulation of additional military units in the Caribbean as a threatening act, but so do countries such as Colombia and Brazil. Trump also recently confirmed that he had approved covert operations carried out by the US foreign secret service CIA in Venezuela.
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