Three U.S. Aegis guided-missile destroyers are set to arrive off Venezuela’s coasts within 24 hours, part of the Trump administration’s effort to counter threats from Latin American drug cartels.
As per Reuters, the deployed American ships are the USS Graverly, USS John Dunham, and the USS Sampson.
The U.S. military had also previously announced on August 22 that air and naval forces would be deployed to the Caribbean, with more than 4,000 sailors and marines, as the Trump administration shows increasing willingness to use military force to combat drug trafficking in Latin America.
Read more: US deploys forces to the Caribbean to combat drug trafficking
These military assets are to operate in international waters and international airspace across several months.
Maduro’s Response
The mobilisation of U.S. military assets follows Washington’s recent decision to increase the bounty for Maduro’s capture, doubling it to an unprecedented $50 million USD. Last week, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the seizure of assets worth $700 million USD from the Venezuelan head of state.
In an official statement published on Tuesday, the Venezuelan government said: “The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela observes with total clarity the desperation of the United States administration, which resorts to threats and defamation against our country. Washington’s accusation that Venezuela is involved in drug trafficking reveals their lack of credibility and the failure of its policies in the region.”
In response to the increased U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, President Maduro announced a plan to mobilise 4.5 million militia members across the country.
This would be a part of a “plan of peace” with militias that would be “prepared, active and armed,” the leader said on live television. Maduro then further urged his political base to mobilise into rural and industrial militias.
“Rifles and missiles for the rural forces! To defend Venezuela’s territory, sovereignty and peace,” he claimed.
Speaking to allies at a political event on Monday evening, Maduro affirmed to defend sovereignty: “Our seas, our skies and our lands are defended by us, liberated by us, guarded and patrolled by us. No empire will come to touch the sacred soil of Venezuela, nor should it touch the sacred soil of South America, no empire in the world.” He did not mention the U.S. ship deployments.
The leader did, however, question the presence of U.S. military bases in Colombia, which he qualified as a humiliation to the history of independence in the region.
There are approximately 76 U.S. military bases in Latin America. But, according to the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. “provides security assistance to Colombia” to promote the country’s stability and security.
In 2024, the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) signed a letter urging the governments of Colombia and the U.S. to stop a proposed military project on Gorgona Island, located in the Colombian Pacific; there are no active U.S. military bases in Colombia.
On Tuesday, the Maduro regime prohibited the flight of drones through Venezuelan territory for 30 days.
Featured image credit:
Source: U.S. Navy via picryl
Author: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Rafael Figueroa Medina
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/
