The USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier strike group has moved into the Latin America region, US officials said on Tuesday, dramatically escalating a military buildup that has deepened tensions with Venezuela.

United States President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of the Ford last month, adding to the eight warships, a nuclear submarine and F-35 stealth aircraft already in the Caribbean.

The Ford, which was commissioned in 2017, is the United States’ newest aircraft carrier and the world’s largest, with more than 5,000 sailors aboard.

The Pentagon confirmed the arrival, which was first reported by Reuters, saying in a statement it would help “disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle transnational criminal organisations”.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly alleged that the US buildup is designed to drive him from power. Washington in August doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, accusing him of links to drug trafficking and criminal groups that Maduro denies.

The US military has carried out at least 19 strikes so far against suspected drug vessels in the Caribbean and off the Pacific coasts of Latin America, killing at least 76 people. But Washington has yet to release evidence that the vessels were used to smuggle drugs or posed a threat to the country.

When the US first announced the Ford’s deployment, Maduro warned that if the US ever intervened in the country, “millions of men and women with rifles would march across the country.”

Tensions between the United States and Venezuela’s neighbour, Colombia, have also spiked in recent weeks, with Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro trading barbs.

‘Major, nationwide military deployment’

Venezuela, meanwhile, announced what it called a major, nationwide military deployment to counter the US naval presence off its coast.

The Venezuelan defence ministry issued a statement announcing a “massive deployment” of land, sea, air, river and missile forces as well as civilian militia.

VTV, the state TV channel, broadcast footage of military leaders giving speeches in several states.

These high-profile government announcements are common in Venezuela these days, but they do not necessarily lead to visible military deployments on the ground.