U.S. aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, seen in Norway in September, has been deployed to Latin America.

U.S. President Donald Trump dramatically escalated a U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean on Friday by deploying the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier group to Latin America, a show of force that far exceeds any past counternarcotics need and represents Washington’s most muscular move yet in the region.

The deployment is part of Trump’s military buildup in the Caribbean, which includes eight additional warships, a nuclear submarine and F-35 aircraft. It is likely to raise concern in the region about the Trump administration’s intent.

The deployment marks a significant escalation amid heightened tensions with Venezuela, whose government Washington has long accused of harboring drug tra

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