The Gerald Ford aircraft carrier strike group has moved into the Latin America region, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, dramatically escalating a military buildup that has deepened tensions with Venezuela.

President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of the Ford last month, adding to the eight warships, a nuclear submarine and F-35 aircraft already in the Caribbean.

The Ford, which was commissioned in 2017, is the United States’ newest aircraft carrier and the world’s largest, with more than 5,000 sailors aboard.

The Pentagon confirmed the arrival, which was first reported by Reuters, saying in a statement it would help “disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations.”

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has repeatedly alleged that the U.S.

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