U.S. President Donald Trump warned Friday that he will shoot down any Venezuelan military aircraft that pose a threat to his forces in the Caribbean. The statement came after Venezuelan F-16 jets briefly flew over a U.S. ship engaged in counterdrug operations in the region, prompting a warning from the Pentagon and the immediate deployment of a dozen F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico, according to sources close to the matter.
During a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House, Trump referred to the possibility of further overflights near US vessels:"They're going to get into trouble. We'll let them know. We heard about what happened, but it didn't really end that way, not the way they described it." The president added that if Venezuelan planes fly in a dangerous position, the decision to act rests with the military command:"I would say you... you or your captains can make the decision as to what you want to do," he told General Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Asked about the distance at which the Venezuelan planes approached, the president responded that he did not wish to share that information, but issued a categorical warning:"If they put us in a dangerous position, they will be shot down."
US authorities have framed this incident in the context of an anti-drug operation that, in recent weeks, has involved the deployment of one of the largest naval contingents in decades in the Caribbean Sea, near the coast of Venezuela. The Trump administration maintains that this operation is in response to the increase in drug trafficking from Venezuelan territory to North America. "Billions of dollars worth of drugs are entering our country from Venezuela, Venezuela's prisons have been opened to our country, their worst prisoners are living happily in the United States, we got many of them out," Trump stated.
The president stressed the need for a “tough” policy to curb both drug trafficking and illegal immigration, citing cases of criminal gangs such as the Tren de Aragua and noting that the new War Department will play a key role in preventing the entry of drugs and human trafficking. “We don’t want drugs coming in from Venezuela or anywhere else. We’re going to be very aggressive about that. We don’t want human trafficking. We don’t want other countries emptying their prisons and unloading their prisoners in this country,” Trump said. “We don’t want drugs killing our people,” he added.
The head of state attributed the arrival of immigrants with criminal records to the change in immigration policy during the administration of Joe Biden, also criticizing the"influence of liberal judges" and denouncing the effects of the "worst inflation" in the country's recent history. He also asserted that his administration has managed to expel thousands of"murderers" and control the border flow, stating that in the last 120 days border crossings went from"millions" to "zero admissions."
On the other hand, in response to a question from another correspondent, Trump denied that the objective of the operation in the Caribbean is to overthrow the regime of Nicolás Maduro, identified by the US as a narco-terrorist leader of the Cartel of the Suns."We are not talking about a regime change," he affirmed, and, referring to the political situation in the South American country, he said:"They had a very strange election, and I am being very kind."
Return from the War Department
Trump also used the press conference to announce the renaming of the Department of Defense to the War Department, the official name of the agency from 1789 to 1947."I think it's a more appropriate name, especially in light of the state of the world. We have the strongest military in the world," he said at the White House during the signing of the executive order that made official the return to the historic name.
Trump justified the decision by pointing out that, under that original name, the United States"achieved some of its greatest military victories" and believed the change allows us to "embrace that great lineage."
During the announcement, Trump was joined by Pete Hegseth, the acting secretary of the department, and General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Hegseth maintained that “this is not just about changing the name, this is about restoring the warrior spirit” of the US military. General Caine promised that “the War Department is going to fight decisively, not in endless conflicts. It’s going to fight to win, not to avoid losing.” He added: “We’re going to go on the offensive, not just the defensive.”
The administration had mentioned the initiative in March, but without specifying whether it would involve structural reforms. The War Department bore that official name until 1947, when it was renamed the Department of Defense in the context of the Cold War and a more diplomatic approach to U.S. foreign policy.
