Скачать или смотреть US Releases New Images of Gerald Ford Carrier Group | Tensions Rise With Venezuela

The U.S. military's Southern Command released photos showing the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group in the western Atlantic Ocean as it dramatically escalates a military buildup that has deepened tensions with Venezuela.

President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of the Ford last month, adding to the eight warships, a nuclear submarine and F-35 aircraft already in the Caribbean region.

The Ford, which was commissioned in 2017, is the United States' newest aircraft carrier and the world's largest, with more than 5,000 sailors aboard.

The Pentagon confirmed the arrival on Tuesday, which was first reported by Reuters, saying in a statement it would help "disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations."

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly alleged that the U.S. buildup is designed to drive him from power.

The U.S. military has carried out at least 20 strikes so far against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and off the Pacific coasts of Latin America, killing at least 76 people.

When the U.S. first announced the Ford's deployment, Maduro warned that if the U.S. ever intervened in the country, "millions of men and women with rifles would march across the country."

Venezuela is deploying weapons, including decades-old Russian-made equipment, and is planning to mount a guerrilla-style resistance or sow chaos in the event of a U.S. air or ground attack, according to sources with knowledge of the efforts and planning documents seen by Reuters.

#USNavy #GeraldRFord #AircraftCarrier #Venezuela #USMilitary #SouthernCommand #MilitaryBuildup #Geopolitics #Caribbean #BreakingNews #Defense #Pentagon
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