Carrier group arrives in Caribbean in major buildup near Venezuela
WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 -- The US's most advanced aircraft carrier arrived in the Caribbean Sea on Sunday in a display of USmilitary power, raising questions about what the new influx of troops and weaponry could signal for the Trump administration's drug enforcement campaign in South America.
The arrival of the USS Gerald R Ford, announced by the US military in a news release, marks a major moment in what the Trump administration insists is a counterdrug operation but has been seen as an escalating pressure tactic against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Since early September, US strikes have killed at least 80 people in 20 attacks on small boats accused of transporting drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean. The Ford rounds off the largest buildup of US firepower in the region in generations, bringing the total number of troops to around 12,000.
Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, who commands the Ford's carrier strike group, said itwill bolster an already large force of American warships to "protect our nation's security and prosperity against narco-terrorism in the Western Hemisphere."...
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