Defense Minister Pete Hegseth ordered on Friday that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R Ford and its accompanying naval unit to join the US Southern Command, the US military command in the region, to "strengthen the American ability to detect, monitor, and disrupt illegal actors and activities that threaten the security and well-being of the USA", writes Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell in a post on X.
The USS Gerald R Ford is currently in the Mediterranean and its journey to the new destination is expected to take several days.
Late on Friday evening, Venezuela warns that it would not accept a new government that "serves" Washington being installed in Caracas.
Interpret it as you will: The armed forces will not allow a government here that serves the interests of the USA, says the country's Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, on Venezuelan state TV.
Six dead in attack
The message about the aircraft carrier was delivered just hours after Hegseth announced another attack on a so-called "narcotics boat", where six people are reported to have been killed. The attack took place during the night, according to the Defense Minister.
"The vessel, which was known to our intelligence service for being involved in illegal narcotics smuggling, was traveling on a well-known smuggling route and was loaded with narcotics", he writes in a post on X, and adds that the dead are said to have been members of the Tren de Aragua cartel.
In recent weeks, the USA has carried out a number of attacks on so-called narcotics boats, mainly off the coast of Venezuela, where a total of over 40 people have been killed. From Washington's side, the procedure is described as combating narcotics smuggling.
Further sharp escalation
At the same time, President Donald Trump recently gave the intelligence agency CIA the green light to carry out secret operations within Venezuela.
Together with Friday's message about USS Gerald R Ford, the decisions constitute a sharp escalation in terms of the USA's attempts to put pressure on Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro.
