Venezuela has condemned joint military exercises between the United States and Trinidad and Tobago as a "provocation" aimed at spurring a full military confrontation, further escalating tensions in the Caribbean region.
The Venezuelan government issued a formal statement on Sunday, denouncing the arrival of the USS Gravely and accompanying Marine units for joint exercises with Trinidad and Tobago's military. Venezuelan authorities framed this as a "military provocation... coordinated with the CIA to incite war in the Caribbean region". The statement, delivered by Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, specifically warned of an alleged "false-flag attack" being prepared in waters bordering the two nations. Such an attack, the government claimed, is intended to be carried out in a way that would make Venezuela appear responsible, thereby generating a pretext for a "full military confrontation". As part of these allegations, Venezuela also announced the capture of a group of mercenaries it claims possesses "direct information" from the American intelligence agency.
This is not the first time President Nicolás Maduro's government has raised alarms about orchestrated attacks. Earlier in October, officials alleged they foiled a plot by domestic terrorists to plant explosives at the closed U.S. embassy in Caracas. President Maduro described that scheme as an attempt to blame his government and "begin an escalation of conflict". These recurring accusations occur in a climate where U.S. President Donald Trump has taken the highly unusual step of publicly confirming he authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations inside Venezuela. Trump cited the need to combat drugs and the emptying of Venezuelan prisons into the United States as his reasons.
The diplomatic accusations are set against a dramatic U.S. military buildup in the region. The Pentagon announced a significant escalation on Friday by deploying the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group to the Caribbean. This deployment will nearly double the number of U.S. forces afloat in the area, adding between 4,500 and 5,000 sailors and marines to an already substantial presence. Concurrently, the Trump administration has conducted a series of lethal strikes on boats it claims are trafficking drugs. To date, the U.S. has conducted 10 such strikes since early September, resulting in at least 43 fatalities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has explicitly compared this campaign to the war on terror, vowing that if you are a "narco-terrorist," "we will hunt you down, and we will kill you".
Caracas has responded to the mounting pressure by mobilizing its own forces. President Maduro has ordered large-scale military exercises along Venezuela's coastline, promising that the country is prepared to defend itself. He has framed the U.S. actions as the latest in a long history of attempts to force him from power, accusing the Trump administration of fabricating a narrative to justify its policies. The situation is viewed by regional analysts as less about drug interdiction and more about geopolitical alignment. As one expert noted, the message being sent is that the "U.S. is intent on pursuing specific objectives. And it will use military force against leaders and countries that don't fall in line".