Trump’s ‘peacemaking’ and ‘protective’ instincts withdraw US might from West Asia — to Venezuela

President Donald Trump’s decision to redeploy the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, from near Croatia in the Mediterranean Sea to South America marks a significant strategic shift amid growing challenges both in the Western Hemisphere and West Asia both.

It comes at a critical moment, with the fragile US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas facing renewed threats from the escalating violence in Gaza, with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu again having ordered “powerful strikes” throughout the Strip.

Yet, at this juncture, the US will find itself in the unusual position of having only a single aircraft carrier deployed globally — with none present near Europe or West Asia.

This is unusual, as in recent years, multiple carriers were deployed in the region, especially after the US joined the Israeli strikes on Iran in June 2025 and combat operations against Yemen’s Houthi rebels intensified in the Red Sea.

Aircraft carriers, as symbols of American military power, have played pivotal roles in signalling US foreign policy priorities before. But in particular, since the Hamas-led attack in Israel on 7 October 2023, the US has deployed carriers to West Asia five times, sometimes with two carriers simultaneously stationed there.

The reassignment of the USS Gerald R. Ford now, pulling it back from West Asia, underscores the Trump administration’s growing emphasis on combating drug cartels closer to home — an expression of its ‘America First’ policy focused more on US priorities than its allies, similar to the way it has pulled away from NATO and the Paris Accord, defunded USAID and reduced support to Ukraine (barring the attempts to broker a peace that Trump can claim credit for).

The recent Nobel Peace Prize snub likely has not helped sweeten the POTUS towards South American and Canadian political leaders who have been holdouts against his influence.

The USS Gerald R. Ford will now support intensified operations involving warships, aircraft and troops, targeting illegal drug trafficking in the West.

Speaking from the USS George Washington in Japan, Trump reinforced this strategy, declaring, “Now we'll stop the drugs coming in by land” — suggesting expanded operations beyond these maritime interdictions as well.

Mark Cancian, senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a retired Marine colonel, was one of the experts to express scepticism about the carrier’s prolonged deployment in South America. He noted, “It’s such a powerful and scarce resource... There will be a lot of pressure to do something or send it elsewhere. You can imagine the peace negotiations breaking down in the eastern Mediterranean or something happening with Iran...”

The USS Gerald Ford was also strategically close to Europe on the other side, amid a potential escalation in the Russia vs Ukraine and much of the European Union face-off — with Russian president Vladimir Putin largely shrugging off sanctions and warnings from both the EU and the US.

Traditionally, only 3 of the US’ 11 aircraft carriers are operational at sea at any given time, highlighting the significance of this reassignment of very limited resources.

The current third active carrier, the USS Nimitz, is returning from the South China Sea to the West Coast for decommissioning, following two recent aircraft crashes that are under investigation. It may potentially be replaced on the seas by the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which currently sits off San Diego, conducting exercises but not deployed.

The timing of the Ford’s move has surprised many — and alarmed some observers of both (South) American and West Asian regional politics. For, with Trump’s recent intense involvement with the newly brokered Gaza ceasefire after two years of aggravated assault from Israel, together with Netanyahu’s recent disavowal of US control and vassal-like allegiance to the greater power and his instruction to recommence the bombardment of Palestine today (29 October, Tuesday), the pulling back of US naval presence suggests a freer hand to Israel and a divestment from the ongoing West Asian negotiations — at least for a time, now that there is no Peace Prize in the immediate offing.

Increased pressure on Venezuela and regional instability in South America

The Peace Prize going to Venezuelan political fan of the POTUS, Maria Corina Machado, may have provided a certain amount of the impetus for this surprise move, however.

The military buildup near Venezuela has, indeed, garnered particular attention.

The US has already conducted 13 fatal strikes on alleged drug smuggling vessels, raising concerns that Trump might use military presence to challenge Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, who faces US narcoterrorism charges — and is a rival of Machado’s, who has been all praise for and all gratitude to Trump for his earlier interventions as well.

At a recent national broadcast, Maduro condemned the Trump administration’s actions as being backed by the fabrication of “an extravagant narrative, a vulgar, criminal and totally fake one”, insisting “Venezuela is a country that does not produce cocaine leaves”.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio, however, has pushed back against accusations of aggressive US intentions, emphasising that “we are taking part in a counter drug operation”. He added, “This is a very serious problem for the (Western) hemisphere, and a very destabilising one. And that has to be addressed.”

Experts caution that although the US military presence is significant, it is not large enough for a full-scale invasion. Nonetheless, Geoff Ramsey, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council specialising in US–Venezuela policy, warned of potential chaos: “There’s a really high potential for violence and instability. If Maduro loses power, Venezuela could devolve into a Libya-style meltdown that could last years.”

Does US naval build-up signal potential land strikes?

The Ford strike group includes five destroyers, potentially adding to the eight warships already near Venezuela — destroyers such as the USS Gravely, amphibious assault ships, a cruiser, and a littoral combat ship suited for coastal operations.

The US Navy also operates a submarine in the broader South American region with cruise missile capability. Additionally, a squadron of F-35B Lightning II jets was deployed to Puerto Rico, while supersonic heavy bombers have flown near Venezuela’s coast.

Since launching its intensified maritime campaign, the US military claims to have eliminated at least 57 individuals aboard vessels accused of drug trafficking. Trump has declared drug cartels “unlawful combatants” under an “armed conflict” doctrine similar to that invoked in the wake of 9/11, intending to justify expanded military measures.

The degree of congressional oversight (or lack thereof) remains contentious. Bi-partisan lawmakers have voiced concerns about Trump’s unilateral actions and lack of transparency regarding these strikes.

Yet, Trump supporters such as Senator Lindsey Graham assert the president has sufficient authority to act. On CBS’s ‘Face the Nation’, Graham warned on 26 October, Sunday, that “land strikes in Venezuela are a real possibility”, emphasising:

This latest escalation represents a high-stakes gamble by the Trump administration, balancing regional drug interdiction efforts with increasing geopolitical risks from both Latin America and a volatile West Asia.

The world watches closely as the US military posture shifts amid these intersecting crises.