Maduro 'captured and flown out' of Venezuela, Trump says – DW – 01

Skip next section US built massive military presence near Venezuela — what we know

01/03/2026 January 3, 2026 US built massive military presence near Venezuela — what we know

The US military built a massive presence in the area of responsibility of the US Southern Command, which covers Latin America and the Caribbean.

Since August, the US has deployed warships to the region, including the nation's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, described as the US Navy's "most lethal combat platform," as well as destroyers, amphibious assault ships, and cruisers.

It has sent F-35 fighter jets and MQ-9 Reaper drones to an airstrip in Puerto Rico — assets that have been used to carry out strikes on vessels allegedly transporting drugs in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific Ocean.

US forces have so far carried out a minimum of 35 strikes and killed at least 115 "narco-terrorists."

Along with the strikes, around 15,000 military troops were thought to have been operating in the area, according to the US Southern Command.

The US has long used aircraft carriers to pressure and deter aggression by other nations because its warplanes can strike targets deep inside another country.

Experts earlier flagged that the Ford was ill-suited to fighting cartels, but that it was an effective instrument of intimidation for Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a push to get him to step down.

The CIA also recently carried out a drone strike against a remote Venezuelan port facility, believed to have been used by a drug cartel.

Trump told reporters in late December that it would be "smart" for Maduro to step down, but that it was up to him.