US sends amphibious squadron to the Caribbean amid tensions with Venezuela.
Ships carrying 4.500 military personnel, including 2.200 marines, are expected to arrive off the coast of Venezuela later this Sunday.
The United States has decided to deploy an amphibious squadron to the southern Caribbean, in another move by President Donald Trump against Latin American drug cartels. The information was revealed by two sources to Reuters on Wednesday (14). According to the sources, who requested anonymity, three ships — USS San Antonio, USS Iowa Jima and USS Fort Lauderdale — are expected to arrive off the coast of Venezuela this Sunday. Together, the vessels carry approximately 4.500 military personnel, including 2.200 marines.
The deployment of the fleet is part of Trump's strategy to toughen the fight against drug trafficking and reinforce security on the southern border. In February, Washington classified the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico and the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua as international terrorist organizations. During the same period, it doubled the reward for the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to US$50 million.
The specific mission of the squadron was not detailed by the sources, but the US government states that the recent operations are part of the crackdown on “narcoterrorist organizations.” According to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, the US is prepared to use “full force” against the Maduro regime, although analysts believe that the naval presence is primarily a deterrent.
From Caracas, the response was immediate. Maduro announced a large-scale mobilization of the Bolivarian Militia, created during Hugo Chávez's government to support the Armed Forces. According to the Venezuelan president, more than 4,5 million volunteers will be activated in a special national defense plan.
“This week I will activate a special plan to guarantee coverage, with more than 4,5 million volunteers, throughout the national territory, prepared, activated and armed militias,” declared Maduro. The leader also stressed: “No empire will touch the sacred land of Venezuela, no empire in the world can touch the sacred land of South America.”
Furthermore, Maduro detailed that the defense will include the mobilization of peasant and worker militias, with weapons supplied to workers in factories and production centers. The Venezuelan government classifies the measure as a response to Washington's "threats."
According to Professor Vitelio Brustolin, from the Federal Fluminense University and a researcher at Harvard, interviewed by... g1The deployment of the fleet represents a message of intimidation, not necessarily an operation to overthrow Maduro.
“What the US is doing is sending a signal of strength and a means of coercion capable of targeted attacks, if authorized, and not a complete regime change architecture,” he explained. According to him, Caracas is also politically exploiting the crisis, seeking to consolidate internal support by raising the costs of a possible US military action.
The movement of US ships and the Venezuelan reaction increase the risks for navigation in the Caribbean and the nearby Atlantic. Experts point out that amphibious operations with marines offer flexibility for evacuations, precision missions, and force projection, but depend on clear political objectives.
To date, the prevailing analysis is that the military presence functions as an instrument of pressure, both against illicit activities in the region and against the Maduro government, raising geopolitical tension in one of the most strategic areas of the continent.
