The USS Gravely docked in Trinidad and Tobago as the Trump administration signals possible land strikes against Venezuela. CBS News national security correspondent Charlie D'Agata has more details.

Washington

The United States has heightened its military presence near Venezuela, with a US warship docking in Trinidad and Tobago for joint training exercises. The deployment, which includes the USS Gravely and the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, is described by US officials as part of efforts to combat drug trafficking and narco-terrorism.

Venezuelan authorities have condemned the move as a hostile provocation and a threat to regional peace. The Trump administration has suggested that land strikes are possible, with several US destroyers equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles already in the area. The US Navy has also indicated that some naval assets are being repositioned due to an approaching hurricane, but remain fully deployed.

Trump admin alludes to Venezuelan land strikes

start here. The Trump administration continues to escalate military pressure against Venezuela as a U.S. warship docked in Trinidad and Tobago's capital yesterday. You can see it right there off the waters. So government officials from both countries say the USS Gravely is gonna stay right there until Thursday so they can carry out what they're calling joint training exercises. But let's think about it this way. That parking spot is just miles away from its neighboring Venezuela. The Venezuelan government calls the positioning a hostile provocation and a serious threat to peace in the Caribbean. But the U.S. government says this is all just part of a campaign to fight drug trafficking and narco-terrorism. President Trump has claimed, without providing a lot of evidence, that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is the ringleader of the organized crime gang Tren de Aragua. So let's go live to CBS News Senior National Security Correspondent Charlie D'Agata. Charlie, you can probably guess what my first question's going to be. Is there a possibility of land strikes? There's absolutely a possibility of land strikes. Reed, why? Because President Trump said that there's a possibility of land strikes. And he's also positioning the largest warship in the world, the USS Gerald R. Ford, which is, as we speak, steaming to the Caribbean from the Mediterranean. The largest aircraft carrier on board, F-18 fighter jets, F-35 fighter jets. Essentially the kind of military hardware that you put in position when you're about to launch strikes. You remember the carriers that were active in the fight against the Houthis, Houthi targets, and also to prepare for airstrikes in Iran. You know, you send a carrier when you are preparing for the possibility of land strikes like that. But as you said, there are maybe three or four destroyers that are there already, and those destroyers are armed with cruise missiles, Tomahawk cruise missiles. You mentioned the Graveley. It's off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago. Venezuela is saying that that's a provocation. I mean, they can see it. But there are a number of other battleships, excuse me, warships in that area. I also want to point out, by the way, I spoke to the Navy this morning. You know, with that hurricane headed in their direction, they have said that they are repositioning some of their naval assets, some of their ships, in order to get out of the way, but they are still fully deployed.

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