The USS Gerald R Ford can carry up to 90 aircraft and its deployment marks a massive increase in US firepower in the region. The US has conducted 10 air strikes on vessels in the area as part of what it says is a war on drug traffickers.

US President Donald Trump has accused Maduro of being the leader of a drug-trafficking organisation, which he denies, and there are fears in Venezuela that the US military build-up is aimed at removing the long-time opponent of Trump from power. The US is among many nations that do not recognise Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate leader, after the last election in 2024 was widely dismissed as neither free nor fair. Opposition tallies from polling stations showed its candidate had won by a landslide. Venezuela plays a relatively minor role in the region's drug trade.

The Pentagon said on Friday that the USS Gerald R Ford carrier would deploy to the US Southern Command area of responsibility, which includes Central America and South America, as well as the Caribbean. The additional forces "will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle transnational criminal organisations", spokesman Sean Parnell said. Maduro accused the US of seeking "a new eternal war" in his address.

"They promised they would never again get involved in a war, and they are fabricating a war," he told state media. The carrier's deployment would provide the resources to start conducting strikes against targets on the ground. Trump has repeatedly raised the possibility of what he called "land action" in Venezuela, saying this week that the US is "looking at land now" after getting "the sea very well under control".

"We stopped all drugs from coming in by sea. I will stop all drugs from coming in by land very shortly. You'll see that starting," he told reporters at the White House on Saturday before departing for a trip to Asia. The US has also bolstered its air presence in the region. BBC Verify has identified a number of US military aircraft across Puerto Rico. It comes as CNN reports Trump is considering targeting cocaine facilities and drug trafficking routes inside Venezuela, but is yet to make a final decision. Military analysts have pointed out that intercepting drugs at sea does not require a force as big as the current US one. (BBC)