US Navy ship off the coast of Venezuela
Antonio Maria Delgado – Miami Herald Oct 31, 2025
Officially, the buildup is part of President Donald Trump’s renewed war on drug cartels. But sources familiar with the operation told the Miami Herald that the largest U.S. military deployment in Latin America since the Cold War has a broader goal – the end of Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela.
The scale and composition of the U.S. force recall Operation Just Cause, the 1989 invasion of Panama that ousted strongman Manuel Noriega, though current operations officially remain limited to counter-narcotics enforcement. Analysts warn that even a limited strike on Venezuelan military targets could rapidly escalate into a collapse of the Maduro regime.
Up to 10,000 soldiers and military personnel have been reported to form part of the deployment. In addition, the U.S. could use a significant number of fighter planes and strategic bombers stationed in nearby U.S. bases.
Here is a more detailed look at the primary U.S. military assets currently positioned or recently sighted near Venezuelan waters:
U.S. naval assets near Venezuela as of Oct. 31.
Carrier Strike Group
- USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) – Deployed on Oct. 24 under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s orders, the world’s largest aircraft carrier has nearly 90 aircraft, including F/A-18 Super Hornets and E-2D Hawkeyes. While details of the carrrier group’s makeup for the Caribbean have not been released, the carrier is normally accompanied by these ships:
- USS Normandy (CG-60) – A Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser
- USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116) – An Arleigh Burke class destroyer.
- USS Ramage (DDG-61) – An Arleigh Burke class destroyer.
- USS Carney (DDG-64) – An Arleigh Burke class destroyer.
- USS Roosevelt (DDG-80) – An Arleigh Burke class destroyer.
Cruisers
- USS Lake Erie (CG-70) – The Lake Erie is an older, larger cruiser with a strong focus on anti-air warfare, while the Arleigh Burke class destroyers, such as the USS Gravely, are newer, more modern and now considered the backbone of the fleet due to their versatility. Both classes of ships are capable of performing a wide range of missions, including anti-air, anti-submarine, and surface warfare, and are equipped with the same core weapons systems like Tomahawks and standard missiles.
Guided-missile destroyers, Arleigh Burke class
These are multi-mission platforms equipped with Aegis radar systems. and capable of anti-submarine and land-attack operations.
- USS Gravely (DDG-107) – Departed from Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, on Oct. 30 after joint drills. Trinidad is seven miles from Venezuela’s northern coast.
- USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109)
- USS Sampson (DDG-102)
Attack submarines
- USS Newport News (SSN-750) – Los Angeles-class, nuclear-powered fast attack sub that can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles.
- One Virginia-class submarine that has not been identified. Virginia-class subs are fast-attack and are capable of carrying cruise missiles.
Littoral Combat Ship
- USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21) – The Freedom class ship specialize in near-shore operation.s They can conduct fast patrol and small-boat interdiction missions
- USS Wichita (sighted Oct. 12–16) Like the Minneapolis-Saint Paul, it is capable of air defense and Tomahawk missile strikes. The ship docked in Puerto Rico in late October.
Amphibious assault ships
- USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) – Wasp class. Carries about 2,200 Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit; participated in landing exercises off the coast of Puerto Rico on Sept. 5
- Amphibious Transport Docks
- USS San Antonio (LPD-17) These San Antonio-class ships are built for amphibious warfare, and can embark, transport and land elements of a landing force for expeditionary warfare missions.
- USS Fort Lauderdale – A second San Antonio-class ship
Support troops and logistics in Puerto Rico
- Replenishment Ships: There are two ships of this class, though their names have not been made public. These ships provide fuel and other supplies for sustained operations and were sighted near Puerto Rico Oct. 17
Specialized auxiliary vessels
Docked in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on Oct. 30; believed to support intelligence and covert operations.
- USNS Waters (T-AGS-45) – A submarine survey ship
- MV Ocean Trader – A special warfare support ship.
“All the Gear, No Idea”
they desperately need collateral & assets to shore up looming debt tsunami – an oil/mineral grab (incl. Colombia) under the laughable pretext of fighting their own instigated drug scam – according to Alastair Crooke
Russia, Iran or China will sink a carrier or ships I think..
America wants control of the oil, in order to control oil prices and protect the petro dollar. Russia has a stake in this whether she likes it or not. Russia has to be involved.
There’s an internet rumour which I don’t believe but it is worth bearing in mind. Some people are saying recent US threats against Venezuela are really just a US excuse to move its assets away from the Med and Middle East in expectation of when Israel attacks Iran. The US wants its vessels out of reach of missiles from Iran, the Houthis and maybe some others who could respond.
Trump does not need to fight drugs there (its a fake war), all he needs to fight drugs entering USA is to hang out in Minneapolis, and will find other forms traffic there, then follow lol the interstates thru casper, OKLA, nyc, etc.
venez on the other hand req’s only missiles, which Russia generously gave them, to sink these old and useless boats.
Bollox, weve all seen this before, slight of claw, sorry “hand”
chabbad lubavich compromised bitch donald j drumpf has far more kikely targets to hit for his demonic chummies
https://www.commondreams.org/news/gustavo-petro-un-speech
c’mon good folk, lets up the ante, nuff with the distractions, We Know what’s going on
venezuela`s oil is a given, its the lubavich deal he did with vlady putina, which is why they wont be comparing red threads in Ankara, you get “ukraine” in return you stay the fk outta s america and look the other way in Iran (tbc)
Likewise “isreals” promise to neutralise another two “assets” namely C Owens and T Carlson is yet another BS, look at it this way:
So the criminals who convinced the world that 2 skyscrapers could be neatly demolished using hologram planes (loaded with indestructible passports…) cant fake.a bit of blood gouging of of the neck of one of their own, then threaten to assassinate another 2 of their assets for “speaking out against isreal” to frighten any wannabes from speaking out too loudly…
fer fuk sake
its interesting that Mr Makow still holds to there being an actual assassination… maybe, maybe not, the left right, ping pong attributes of kikedom still bear relevance but the un-ending “you’re fucked whichever way goy” really does grate…
which takes me to this wee gem I found, a Persian take on a de-code of “I pet goat ii”
now for all the Tommy robinson fans im gonna say “this aint your thing” so dont go there… yet, but for those who understand at least some of the sorcery We are boeing (pun intended) bombarded with theres some interesting take homes here
https://alvadossadegh.com/en/i-pet-goat-2-99-decoding-the-antichrists-plan-2020/
They haven’t been able to start WWIII with US-backed Ukraine vs. Russia. So the next localized war will be US vs. Russian-backed Venezuela. Will it ever be US vs. Russia directly? Maybe not. Maybe the goal is to force the proxy countries under the control of whichever is acting as their enemy.
The US wants to take back Central and South America. Maybe it already has Mexico and Central America, and they only pretend to be independent.
What does Russia want?
America the punk with a bunch of guns is feeling lucky.
If Clint Eastwood still has it all together he would be very angry and very sad with what America has become.
@ duckman
try not to chow while spewing forth
anyone got an english translator?
More criminally insane war-mongering, destruction, and mass murder coming from the Jewnited States. One of my guesses is that The Jewnited States is looking to secure all of that juicy Venezuelan oil for when the maniacally rabid kikes of Satania attack Iran again and the whole muddle east goes off the rails. I imagine that maybe the chinks have a similar idea and are trying to make some deals there…while Uncle Shlomo, er Sam, doesn’t like deals, it likes to kill and steal.
Looks to me we are going into Venezuala for the same reason we invaded Panama in 1989.
In 1989 Noriega kicked out the CIA and took control of drug trafficking. The removal of Noriega did not stop the flow of drugs; it just put the CIA back in control.
One needs to remember that the CIA and Israeli Mossad are one and the same.
Maduro has asked Russia and China for assistance, but it’s too late. Like most dictators he was delusional and wanted to retain total control. If the Russians are unwise enough to get involved, then another Cuba-style blockade and standoff is likely.
There is another possibility however. Think Goeben and Breslau (look those up). Russia might gift a submarine to Venezuela, and it might sink a major US ship.