FLASH INFO: 25% of U.S. Navy’s Deployed Warships Now in Caribbean as Ford Carrier Group Leads the Force.

A U.S. television network reported that about 25 percent of all deployed U.S. Navy warships are now positioned in the Caribbean Sea, centered on the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group. The buildup marks a sharpened U.S. response to tensions with Venezuela and efforts to pressure criminal networks tied to the Maduro government.

The U.S. has launched one of its most significant recent maritime buildups, concentrating about 25 percent of the deployed surface fleet, including the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group, in the Caribbean Sea. This move clearly signals a heightened U.S. response to intensifying tensions with Venezuela and a reinforced effort to counter criminal networks linked to the Maduro government, as reported by a leading U.S. network. Senior officials view the deployment as central to the Trump administration’s strategy, which aims to disrupt cartel operations believed by Washington to be entwined with the Venezuelan state.
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Broadcast footage aired on November 21, 2025, illustrates the scale of the U.S. Navy presence in the Caribbean Sea, where 25 percent of all currently deployed American warships are now concentrated. (Picture source: U.S. Media broadcast)

The U.S. Navy’s Caribbean fleet now includes dozens of surface warships, among them Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers, multiple Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, and two attack submarines capable of launching Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles. Significantly, the USS Iwo Jima amphibious assault ship is also present in-theater, carrying approximately 2,000 fully equipped U.S. Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit. These Marines are trained for rapid-response, littoral combat, and amphibious insertion, giving the strike force a credible capability to project power ashore within hours of a decision to engage.

Supporting this naval firepower is a growing U.S. Air Force footprint. B-52H Stratofortress bombers are reportedly on alert at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, ready to conduct long-range strikes if ordered. Complementing this strategic presence is the forward deployment of F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters to the reactivated Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico. The Cold War-era base, which had been shuttered for years, is now back in operational use, supporting tactical and ISR missions in the region. This combined sea-air-ground array places the full spectrum of U.S. strike and surveillance capabilities directly within operational range of Venezuelan territory.

The military configuration now stationed in the Caribbean provides Washington with a full multi-domain combat package. The Ford-class aircraft carrier delivers a high sortie-generation rate, is outfitted with the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), and operates the latest-generation air wing. The embarked aircraft can conduct precision strike missions, air superiority operations, and close air support for Marine forces. The amphibious component aboard the USS Iwo Jima gives planners options for amphibious raids, coastal seizure missions, or special operations insertions against cartel targets or military infrastructure. Submarine-launched cruise missiles, with their stealth and long-range reach, enable preemptive neutralization of hardened Venezuelan air defense systems or command-and-control nodes.

Further complicating the strategic landscape, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed during a media interview at the Pentagon on November 21, 2025, that the United States is preparing to designate the Venezuelan military-linked criminal network, Cartel de los Soles, as a foreign terrorist organization. The cartel, long believed by U.S. intelligence to be embedded within the Venezuelan armed forces and directly linked to President Nicolás Maduro’s inner circle, has now been elevated to a national security threat on par with transnational terror groups. Hegseth stated the terrorism classification “brings a whole bunch of new options” to military and intelligence planners seeking to disrupt narco-terrorist activity in the region.

Although Hegseth declined to comment on whether land operations inside Venezuela are under active consideration, he revealed that U.S. Southern Command has already conducted more than 20 lethal maritime strikes against intelligence-confirmed cartel-linked targets since September. These operations, carried out in both the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific, suggest that a broader campaign may already be underway below the public radar. The increased pace of these maritime strikes also reflects a growing reliance on kinetic action in what was once considered a law enforcement or diplomatic domain.

While no formal combat order has been announced, the deployment’s posture clearly supports a full range of military options. Should the situation escalate further, this armada is capable of enforcing a maritime quarantine, establishing no-fly zones, conducting amphibious landings, or executing a limited strike campaign targeting Venezuelan military assets and cartel command nodes. The legal justification may soon be strengthened if the Cartel de los Soles is formally listed as a foreign terrorist organization, thereby providing authorization under U.S. counterterrorism statutes to strike support networks, logistics hubs, and leadership structures linked to the cartel within Venezuela’s territory.

Inside Venezuela, the Maduro regime has begun repositioning air defense systems, mobilizing irregular militias, and placing elements of the armed forces on high alert along the northern coastline. However, the disparity in force capability remains significant. U.S. naval and air forces enjoy a decisive advantage in precision, range, electronic warfare, and situational awareness. Should hostilities break out, Venezuela’s coastal and military infrastructure would face overwhelming odds.

What remains unclear is whether this extraordinary concentration of American firepower is meant solely as a coercive signal or if it is the prelude to kinetic operations aimed at degrading cartel infrastructure and regime control nodes. Experts caution that the convergence of political will, legal authority, and deployed combat capability suggests that the U.S. is preparing for rapid escalation if conditions on the ground demand it.

The U.S. deployment in the Caribbean marks a critical escalation in strategy, signaling that military options are prepared and the region is a focal point of American response to Venezuelan-linked threats. The situation’s outcome will reveal whether this is deterrence or a prelude to action.

Army Recognition will continue to monitor this unprecedented mobilization, offering exclusive access to satellite intelligence, naval tracking data, and expert commentary on the evolving order of battle in the region.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.