Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Thursday that the expanding U.S. military campaign in Latin America will be known as "Operation Southern Spear," as President Donald Trump received updated military options for potential strikes inside Venezuela.
With the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group now positioned in the Caribbean alongside nearly 15,000 troops across a dozen warships, the administration faces a critical decision on whether to escalate beyond the 20 maritime strikes that have killed at least 80 people since August.
"President Trump ordered action — and the Department of War is delivering," Hegseth wrote on social media. "This mission defends our Homeland, removes narco-terrorists from our Hemisphere, and secures our Homeland from the drugs that are killing our people."
Florida Lawmakers Rally Behind Trump's Approach
Florida's congressional delegation, representing the nation's largest Venezuelan-American constituency, has strongly backed the administration's aggressive stance against the Maduro regime.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, declared his full support for military action in a social media post Thursday: "The narcoterrorist Cartel de losSoles must be completely annihilated & destroyed. President Trump is taking decisive action to protect Americans from this criminal gang."
In speaking to The Floridian, Rep. Gimenez reemphasized his committment and support of the Trump administrations kinetic military actions against the Maduro-backed drug cartels, saying that he "supports all efforts to eliminate the threat to the American people posed by the illegitimate Maduro regime."
Sen. Rick Scott has similarly warned that "Maduro's days are numbered," while Secretary of State Marco Rubio — himself once targeted for assassination by Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, a Cartel de los Soles figure — has made clear the administration's intentions to "wage war on narcoterrorist organizations."
Sen. Scott recently posted on social media that he commended President Donald Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's efforts to "to keep our country safe and get narco-terrorists, like Maduro, the hell out of our Hemisphere."
Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart and María Elvira Salazar, along with Senator Scott, have consistently called for maximum pressure on the Maduro regime, describing it as a destabilizing narco-terrorist organization that threatens hemispheric security.
Right Strategy, but Insufficient Pressure
At an Atlantic Council forum Thursday, leading experts concluded that while the Trump administration is right to target the Maduro regime's financial networks, current actions remain inadequate to force regime change.
"What has been done so far isn't enough. Maduro's still there," said Elliott Abrams, former U.S. special representative for Venezuela. "As of today, it's a show of force."
Abrams emphasized the pressure campaign must escalate to strikes inside Venezuela itself. "Some kind of shock to the system is needed to produce that opening."
Targeting the $358 Billion Criminal Enterprise
General Laura Richardson, former commander of U.S. Southern Command, identified the strategic target: a "$358 billion annual revenue business" from drug trafficking, human smuggling, illegal mining, and logging. "When you add up the defense budgets for the countries in the region, it doesn't even come close to that figure," she said.
Alex Gray, former NSC chief of staff during Trump's first term, emphasized the regime's integration with cartels: "The Maduro regime is almost inseparable from the narco-traffickers. He is totally integrated into that system."
With 80,000 to 100,000 Americans dying annually from drug overdoses, panelists agreed that dismantling these financial networks is essential — but requires more aggressive action than maritime interdictions alone.
A Criminal Gang, not a Military Regime
Abrams made a critical distinction: "This is not a military regime. This is a criminal gang. And it's different."
Unlike military juntas that negotiated transitions to democracy across South America, Venezuela resembles a mafia state — making diplomatic solutions unlikely without significant external pressure. The U.S. has placed a $50 million bounty on Maduro for drug trafficking.
China's Growing Hemispheric Footprint
General Richardson detailed China's Belt and Road Initiative penetration into 23 of 31 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, controlling critical infrastructure including electrical grids, ports, and 5G networks. "The first and second island chain to our homeland has been built through this Belt and Road Initiative," she warned.
Gray argued that confronting Venezuela is inseparable from U.S.-China competition. "China and Russia are deeply involved in very nefarious ways in this hemisphere and Venezuela is probably along with Cuba one of the most pronounced ways they're exerting that malign influence."
Richardson noted regular high-level visits from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Iranian officials, and Chinese representatives — an "axis of aggressors" operating close to U.S. shores.
The USS Ford's Strategic Clock
The arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford creates a strategic "shot clock" forcing Trump's decision. Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies noted: "If used, it could signify the beginning of a broader campaign. If withdrawn, it could be seen as a strategic climbdown."
Richardson acknowledged the buildup serves a deterrent purpose: "The world's largest warship sitting right off the coast of Venezuela with a lot of capability sends a clear message."
The Venezuelan Response
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López mobilized troops, militias, and police for military exercises, declaring the armed forces at "full operational readiness." President Maduro accused the U.S. of fabricating justifications for military action.
Elizabeth Dickinson of the International Crisis Group told the Associated Press the buildup "has raised a lot of anxieties in Venezuela but also throughout the region."
Mission Accomplished?
Abrams was unequivocal about what success looks like: "The mission accomplished moment is when Maduro is gone. If he doesn't go, President Trump has lost this engagement."
He warned the administration's counter-narcotics emphasis could provide an off-ramp. "We could announce 'the narcotic shipments are down, so we won.' But it's false. If Nicholas Maduro is still there at the end of this, then he won. All he has to do is survive."
With the Ford now on station and Trump having received updated military options, the coming days may determine whether Operation Southern Spear becomes a turning point in Venezuelan history — or another pressure campaign that Maduro survives to claim victory.
