US Official: “Table Being Set” for Venezuela Military Action

A senior U.S. official told Fox News that “the table is being set” for possible military action against Venezuela, confirming the Pentagon’s most aggressive posture in Latin America in decades as the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group patrols Caribbean waters and White House meetings intensify on strike options. The comment, made Friday, signals Washington is laying groundwork for potential intervention if diplomatic pressure and the ongoing Operation Southern Spear fail to dislodge President Nicolás Maduro.
The official’s statement follows three White House briefings this week where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine presented President Trump with options ranging from air strikes on military facilities to targeting Maduro’s security detail. Military planners have briefed “the coming days” scenario, suggesting decision-making has accelerated. The USS Ford, with 4,000 sailors and 75+ aircraft, entered the Caribbean Sea Saturday after transiting the Anegada Passage, joining the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and 15,000 total U.S. personnel in the region.
Operation Southern Spear, launched Thursday, has already killed over 80 alleged smugglers in 21 vessel strikes since September. Hegseth declared the U.S. would “find and kill” traffickers, but the operation’s scale—including F-35s, destroyers, and a nuclear submarine—far exceeds counter-narcotics needs, suggesting broader strategic aims.
Maduro has responded by mobilizing 200,000 troops for nationwide exercises and offering private oil concessions. He warned that “millions of men and women with rifles would march” if attacked, while claiming the U.S. escalation represents “the greatest threat to our continent in 100 years.”
The “table being set” language indicates the Pentagon is preparing both the strategic framework and legal justification for strikes. However, senior officials caution no final decision has been made, and Trump remains concerned about risks to American forces. International opposition complicates action: the UK suspended intelligence sharing, Colombia partially halted cooperation, and UN human rights officials condemned “extrajudicial killings” of alleged traffickers.
A separate potential diplomatic track involves Maduro’s offer of access to Venezuela’s 300 billion barrel oil reserves—a deal Trump initially rejected but may reconsider as leverage. The carrier’s presence serves as both military pressure and bargaining chip in complex negotiations that could determine whether the U.S. pursues regime change or accepts a negotiated settlement.
“Venezuela is going to be free very soon,” Trump told reporters Thursday, while simultaneously hinting at a “big deal” that could involve oil access. The contradictory messages reflect an administration keeping both military and diplomatic options open as it pressures Maduro.