The aircraft carrier “USS Gerald R. Ford” arrived off the coast of Latin America this week.
Source: dpa
After the relocation of the world’s largest warship to Latin America and attacks on ships suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean, Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth announced a military operation.
This mission defended the homeland and protected the United States from narcotics, Hegseth, who was appointed Secretary of War by the US government, wrote in Platform X. He named the operation “Southern Spear.”
The US government is deploying more military forces to the Caribbean. According to the US, this is about the fight against “drug terrorism”. Venezuelan ruler Maduro believes the US government wants to overthrow him.
28 Oct 2025 | 2:26 min
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.
Dies after US attack on ship
The US justifies its military presence in waters around Latin America with the aim of fighting 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.
The Americans say they have attacked other drug smuggling vessels. The US has not provided any evidence that the ships are actually transporting drugs.
02/11/2025 | 0:17 min
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 The warship has been withdrawn from the Mediterranean by the Pentagon.
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.
Venezuela criticized sending more US warships to the Caribbean as a “hostile provocation”. A destroyer had previously arrived in Trinidad and Tobago.
27 Oct 2025 | 0:24 min
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.
Source: dpa
