NYT: The US aircraft carrier group off the coast of Venezuela risks losing combat capability

The United States may have problems with the cost and timing of servicing the strike group stationed in the Caribbean amid the escalation with Venezuela, the New York Times reports.

"One of the potential problems for the administration is the cost of maintaining a large-scale military presence in the Caribbean. The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford was redirected to the Caribbean in October, and if the Pentagon extends its deployment, it will postpone the necessary maintenance of the ship and undermine the morale of the crew," the article says.

It is noted that the crew has been forced to stay at sea for the seventh month, although in peacetime the deployment does not exceed six months.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced the destruction by the US military of a "large facility" in Venezuela amid the ongoing escalation between the two countries.

The United States justifies its military presence in the Caribbean region by fighting drug trafficking. In September and October, they repeatedly used their armed forces to destroy boats carrying drugs near the coast of Venezuela. NBC channel at the end of September noted that the US armed forces are working on options for striking drug traffickers inside the Bolivarian republic. On November 3, Trump expressed the opinion that the days of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro at the head of state are numbered, while he clarified that the United States does not plan to fight with the republic. In Caracas, these actions were regarded as a provocation aimed at destabilizing the region and as a violation of international agreements on the demilitarized and nuclear-free status of the Caribbean.

On December 17, Trump announced the recognition of the Venezuelan government as a "foreign terrorist organization" and the complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from the Bolivarian Republic. He also threatened Venezuela with an unprecedented shock, demanding that the republic return the oil, land and other assets "stolen" from the United States. The statement was made against the background of his promise, made by him on December 12, to soon launch strikes against drug traffickers on land as part of the United States' fight against drug trafficking off the coasts of Central and South America.