Biggest US military buildup since Cuban Missile Crisis puts Latin America on edge

America is flexing its muscles in the Caribbean and the world is
holding its breath. Washington has trained its sights on
Socialist-run Venezuela, and the arrival of the colossal USS
Gerald Ford has sparked the biggest military buildup since the
Cuban Missile Crisis. Operation Southern Spear is now under way:
a dozen warships, thousands of troops, and a barrage of so-called
“anti-narco” strikes that have already left scores dead. The
White House insists it’s about drug traffickers, but few believe
that. With President Nicolás Maduro about to be officially
labelled a terrorist and Trump accusing him of heading a major
cartel, the scent of regime change is hard to ignore. Maduro says
America is inventing a war. So what’s really happening? Venetia
is joined by former British Royal Navy officer Tom Sharpe and
RUSI Senior Research Fellow Carlos Solar.


Three possible
scenarios: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/11/13/donald-trump-venezuela-nicolas-maduro-options/


Tom Sharpe on his time fighting drug smugglers in the
Caribbean: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09/08/ive-gone-up-against-drug-smugglers-in-the-caribbean/


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