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World’s biggest aircraft carrier arrives in Caribbean as Trump steps up pressure on Venezuela

Venezuela President Maduro sings 'Imagine' by John Lennon during speech on US tensions

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier has arrived in the Caribbean Sea, signifying the largest US military buildup in the region for generations.
This deployment, part of 'Operation Southern Spear' involving approximately 12,000 troops and nearly a dozen Navy ships, is officially described as a counter-drug operation.
Critics view the intensified military activity as an escalating pressure tactic against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who faces narcoterrorism charges in the US.
The US leader has justified recent strikes on suspected drug boats as 'armed conflict' with cartels, though these actions have faced pushback from regional leaders and human rights officials.
Experts are divided on whether the Ford's warplanes may be used to strike land targets inside Venezuela, but the deployment is widely seen as a significant display of US military power causing regional anxiety.