Venezuela Deploys 200,000 Troops as U.S. Carrier Strike Group Arrives in Caribbean

Key Facts

Published: November 12, 2025 Location: Washington D.C. Source: Wall Street Journal, Epoch Times, Wire Services

• Venezuela deploys 200,000 troops in a two-day nationwide exercise amid rising U.S. military presence
• USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group arrives in Caribbean to expand anti-trafficking operations
• Britain suspends intelligence-sharing with U.S. over legality concerns of maritime strikes
• Colombia halts security cooperation after six killed in latest U.S. boat attacks

by Emmitt Barry, with reporting from Washington D.C. Bureau Staff

(Worthy News) – In a show of defiance against mounting U.S. military pressure, Venezuela has launched a massive two-day nationwide military mobilization following the U.S. Senate’s rejection of a resolution to block American operations against the Maduro regime. The move comes just as the Pentagon confirmed that the USS Gerald R. Ford—the largest U.S. aircraft carrier ever built—has arrived in waters near Latin America.

Venezuelan Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino López announced the large-scale mobilization during a nationally televised address on Tuesday, calling it a defensive response to what he described as “imperialist threats” from Washington.

“Almost 200,000 troops have been deployed throughout the national territory for this exercise,” Padrino López said during a press conference carried on state-run Venezolana de Televisión (VTV). “This is not at the expense of the daily deployment carried out by the Strategic Operational Command. We are optimizing command, control, and communications in the face of aggression.”

The mobilization, part of President Nicolás Maduro’s expanded “Independence Plan 200,” integrates Venezuela’s armed forces, police, and other security agencies under a single national defense command. The exercise was highlighted across state media and social platforms as a demonstration of “resistance and sovereignty.”

U.S. Buildup in the Caribbean

The Venezuelan announcement follows a series of U.S. military escalations in the region. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell confirmed Tuesday that the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group—including several destroyers armed with Tomahawk missiles—has entered the Southern Command’s area of responsibility to “enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle transnational criminal organizations.”

“The enhanced U.S. force presence will bolster our capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere,” Parnell said in a statement.

The Ford strike group’s arrival adds to the growing U.S. presence in the Caribbean, including F-35B stealth fighters and MQ-9 drones stationed in Puerto Rico, as well as AC-130 gunships deployed in Puerto Rico and El Salvador. Admiral Alvin Holsey, Commander of U.S. Southern Command, said the deployment “represents a critical step in reinforcing our resolve to protect the security of the Western Hemisphere and the safety of the American homeland.”

Since September, American forces have conducted at least 19 strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, claiming the vessels were operated by drug traffickers and terrorist organizations smuggling narcotics into the U.S. The Pentagon says 76 people have been killed in the operations, which have drawn scrutiny from international observers and allied governments.

Britain and Colombia Suspend Cooperation

In a development signaling possible cracks in the Western alliance, Britain reportedly suspended intelligence-sharing with the U.S. over concerns that the maritime strikes could violate international law. According to CNN, London halted the program over a month ago, shortly after the U.S. began bombing suspected trafficking vessels. Neither the Pentagon nor the British Embassy in Washington offered comment.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro also announced Tuesday that his government would suspend communications and cooperation with U.S. security agencies “as long as the boat strikes continue,” criticizing what he called “extrajudicial killings.” The move deepens an already strained relationship with Washington, which last month revoked Petro’s visa after he urged U.S. troops to “disobey Trump’s orders” during a protest outside the United Nations in New York.

Trump’s “War on Narco-Terrorists”

The Trump administration has framed its campaign as part of a broader war on “narco-terrorists.” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, in a post on X, compared Latin American drug cartels to al-Qaeda, writing, “Narco-terrorists intending to bring poison to our shores will find no safe harbor anywhere in our hemisphere. Just as al-Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border and our people. There will be no refuge or forgiveness—only justice.”

President Trump, however, has sent mixed signals about whether he would authorize direct military action against Venezuela. In a Wall Street Journal interview last week, he expressed “reservations” about ground operations but told 60 Minutes earlier this month that “Maduro’s days are likely numbered.”

The White House last August doubled the U.S. reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, accusing him of directing a narco-state and harboring criminal networks—allegations Maduro has denied.

As U.S. warships patrol the Caribbean and Venezuela mobilizes hundreds of thousands of troops, Latin America finds itself on edge—caught between Washington’s escalating campaign against drug trafficking and Caracas’s claim of an impending foreign invasion.

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