San Juan, PR. Nov.1 (DPnet).– In late August 2025, the United States initiated a naval buildup in the southern Caribbean, citing the intention to address the issue of drug trafficking. US President Donald Trump authorized the United States Armed Forces to employ military force against specific Latin American drug cartels, labeling these smugglers as narcoterrorists. The Trump administration has accused Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela, of facilitating the trafficking of drugs into the United States. Earlier in August, the administration also increased the bounty for Maduro's arrest to $50 million, alleging his involvement in drug trafficking activities.
On 30 September, President Trump told reporters his administration would "look very seriously at cartels coming by land" and he formally declared to Congress on 1 October that the US was in a "non-international armed conflict" with "unlawful combatants" regarding drug cartels operating in the Caribbean. Trump said on 22 October that he planned to also order strikes on land targets.
The Trump administration announced in October 27 that the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group (CSG) will deploy to the Caribbean to help “dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland.” The CSG had been in the Mediterranean for exercises with allies and to respond to potential hostilities around Israel, Gaza, and the Red Sea. This task force includes 1 Carrier, 2 Cruisers, 7 Destroyers, 3 amphibious ships and one submarine.
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