Understanding Trump’s Military Buildup in Latin America

The recent deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy’s largest aircraft carrier, has intensified speculation about Washington’s true objectives in the Southern Caribbean. In this episode of the Americas Quarterly Podcast, we examine what’s really behind the Trump administration’s escalating military activity. Is it a hardline campaign against drug cartels, or the opening moves of a broader effort to pressure Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro? What do we know about dynamics within the Venezuelan military? And to what extent could this impact Washington’s relations with Colombia and other countries in the region? Our guest is Ryan Berg, director of the Americas Program and head of the Future of Venezuela Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

You can listen to Understanding Trump’s Military Buildup in Latin America online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Understanding Trump’s Military Buildup in Latin America is an episode from Deep South podcast by Americas Quarterly.

This episode is 34:55 long.

This episode was published on Oct 30, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from Deep South podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.