![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bostonstarnews.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/USS-Gerald-R-Ford_02.webp\")
Trump said to reporters on Air Force One on Friday, “I sort of made up my mind” on whether to launch an assault.”<\/p>\nA U.S. Navy official said, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, will arrive in the northern Caribbean on Sunday amid escalating tensions with Venezuela. The carrier will board an amphibious assault ship with 15,000 service men, including 2,000 Marines.<\/p>\n
The official said, the “table is being set” for potential military action but he was not permitted to talk in public. Despite ongoing military drills, administration officials are still holding high-level discussions with foreign leaders and members of Congress.<\/p>\n
But whether President Trump would employ military force against Venezuela is still up in the air. So far, the United States has attacked 20 boats in the area, claiming they were transporting drugs that were trafficked from the nation. The U.S. government offered a $50 million reward in August for the capture of Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, the leader of Venezuela.<\/p>\n
However, insiders informed that the USS Gerald Ford’s arrival\u2014which was withdrawn from the Mediterranean Sea\u2014might be merely another attempt to exert pressure on Maduro, who has placed his own military on high alert.<\/p>\n
Trump said to reporters on Air Force One on Friday, “I sort of made up my mind” on whether to launch an assault.”<\/p>\n
I can’t tell you what it is,” he said, “but we made a lot of progress with Venezuela in terms of stopping drugs from pouring in.”<\/p>\n
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Thursday on social media that a “mission” was under way called “Operation Southern Spear.”<\/p>\n
He\u00a0<\/span><\/span>said, <\/span><\/span>“This\u00a0<\/span>mission\u00a0<\/span><\/span>secures\u00a0<\/span><\/span>our\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Homeland\u00a0<\/span><\/span>from\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>drugs\u00a0<\/span><\/span>that\u00a0<\/span><\/span>are\u00a0<\/span>killing\u00a0<\/span><\/span>our\u00a0<\/span>people,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>defends\u00a0<\/span><\/span>our\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Homeland,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>removes\u00a0<\/span><\/span>narco-terrorists\u00a0<\/span><\/span>from\u00a0<\/span>our\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Hemisphere.”<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span>“We\u00a0<\/span><\/span>will\u00a0<\/span>defend\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>Western\u00a0<\/span>Hemisphere\u00a0<\/span><\/span>because\u00a0<\/span><\/span>it\u00a0<\/span>is\u00a0<\/span><\/span>America’s\u00a0<\/span><\/span>neighborhood.”<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The\u00a0<\/span>surge\u00a0<\/span><\/span>in\u00a0<\/span><\/span>activity\u00a0<\/span><\/span>follows\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>well-publicized\u00a0<\/span><\/span>resignation\u00a0<\/span><\/span>of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>U.S.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>four-star\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Adm.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Alvin\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Holsey,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>who\u00a0<\/span><\/span>was\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0<\/span><\/span>charge\u00a0<\/span><\/span>of\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>boat\u00a0<\/span><\/span>strikes,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>last\u00a0<\/span>month.<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Two\u00a0<\/span>years\u00a0<\/span><\/span>ahead\u00a0<\/span>of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>schedule,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>he\u00a0<\/span><\/span>abruptly\u00a0<\/span><\/span>departed\u00a0<\/span><\/span>his\u00a0<\/span>position.<\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Pentagon <\/span>officials <\/span><\/span>think\u00a0<\/span><\/span>it\u00a0<\/span>was\u00a0<\/span><\/span>because\u00a0<\/span>he\u00a0<\/span><\/span>protested\u00a0<\/span><\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>attacks\u00a0<\/span><\/span>on\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>alleged\u00a0<\/span><\/span>drug\u00a0<\/span><\/span>boats <\/span><\/span>which\u00a0<\/span>have\u00a0<\/span><\/span>killed\u00a0<\/span><\/span>80\u00a0<\/span>people\u00a0<\/span><\/span>so\u00a0<\/span>far,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>targeted\u00a0<\/span><\/span>vessels\u00a0<\/span><\/span>that\u00a0<\/span><\/span>didn’t\u00a0<\/span>seem\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to\u00a0<\/span>be\u00a0<\/span><\/span>displaying a<\/span><\/span>ny\u00a0<\/span><\/span>obvious\u00a0<\/span><\/span>hostile\u00a0<\/span><\/span>intent.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A U.S. Navy official said, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest aircraft carrier in the world, will arrive in the northern Caribbean on Sunday amid escalating tensions with Venezuela. The carrier will board an amphibious assault ship with 15,000 service men, including 2,000 Marines. The official said, the “table is being set” for potential […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"subtitle":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[75,76,77,74,73],"class_list":["post-863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world","tag-aircraft-carrier","tag-caribbean","tag-military","tag-uss-gerald-r-ford","tag-venezuela"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n