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Caracas,.- The head of Defense of Venezuela, Vladimir Padrino López, assured that his country continues to prepare for a military deployment that is approaching "every day more" to the coasts of the South American nation, in reference to the naval presence of the United States in the Caribbean Sea.
The minister stated that the Venezuelan military remains "unwavering, determined, and very focused on continuing to defend every inch" of the territory, statements he made after the Pentagon announced the deployment to the waters of the Caribbean Sea of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford, the largest in the US fleet, amid tensions with Caracas.You may be interested in: http://EE.UU. sanciona a Petro
"We are currently facing the worst threat in over 100 years, the military threat of the naval deployment of the United States, getting closer every day to Venezuelan coasts. (...) We are preparing ourselves every day," expressed Padrino López. The official, whose statements were broadcast by the state-owned channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), indicated that the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) and "all State institutions" are focused on "the defense of the nation" considering that it is "really threatened" by what he described as "an unprecedented deployment of air and naval assets of one of the world's largest powers from a military point of view". "We are here, working, without fear, without trepidation, without letting ourselves be intimidated, we are doing the work that corresponds because the country needs to continue its course," said the military man, who accused the U.S. of "extrajudicially murdering people in the Caribbean" and "in the Pacific" and without showing evidence about the accusations related to drug trafficking. U.S. Secretary of War (Defense) Pete Hegseth instructed the transfer of the aircraft carrier and its strike group to the area of responsibility of the United States Southern Command "in support of the president's directive to dismantle transnational criminal organizations," explained Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell in a statement. According to the spokesperson, this deployment will "reinforce the United States' ability to detect, monitor, and dismantle illicit actors and activities that compromise the security and prosperity of U.S. territory." The Gerald Ford and its strike group thus join the contingent deployed since the summer by the Pentagon in the Caribbean with the argument of combating drug trafficking. The mobilization includes three amphibious assault and transport ships, F-35B fighter jets, P-8 patrol aircraft, and MQ-9 drones, which operate from a base in Puerto Rico. Over the past few weeks, the Donald Trump administration has destroyed a dozen vessels in the Caribbean and the Pacific, killing several people, near Venezuela and Colombia, which has heightened tensions with those countries. This Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced that the Armed Forces, along with militiamen and police forces, deployed on the coasts of the South American country for military exercises that will last 72 hours and that take place amid the US naval mobilization.
