US-Venezuela Tensions Rise as American Warships Deploy to Southern Caribbean

Tensions between Washington and Caracas have deepened following the deployment of a sizeable US naval force to the Southern Caribbean, a move US officials say is aimed at disrupting Latin American drug cartels but which Venezuela has denounced as a prelude to military intervention.

According to a senior US official, seven warships—including the USS San Antonio, USS Iwo Jima, and USS Fort Lauderdale—along with a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, are either already in regional waters or expected to arrive within days.

The vessels are carrying 4,500 personnel, including 2,200 Marines. Surveillance flights using P-8 spy planes have also been launched to monitor activity in international waters.

While US Coast Guard and Navy patrols in the Caribbean are routine, this deployment is significantly larger than usual.

The build-up forms part of President Donald Trump’s broader strategy to curb drug trafficking, bolster border security, and slow migration.

The White House has authorised military operations targeting drug cartels and criminal networks, recently designating Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua as global terrorist organisations.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro slammed the US deployment, branding it “a massive propaganda operation to justify what experts call kinetic action—military intervention against a sovereign and independent country that poses no threat.”

His government has lodged a formal complaint with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, accusing Washington of violating the UN Charter.

In response, Maduro announced nationwide civil defence drills and the deployment of 15,000 troops to western border states to combat trafficking groups.

He also reiterated long-standing accusations that the opposition, with backing from US entities, is seeking to destabilise Venezuela—a charge both Washington and Venezuelan opposition leaders deny.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the mission, saying, “Many Caribbean nations and countries in the region have applauded the administration’s counter-narcotics operations and efforts.”

The escalating standoff underscores mounting regional friction, with the US citing security imperatives and Venezuela framing the move as a direct threat to its sovereignty.