Tensions between the United States and Venezuela have escalated sharply this month as Washington stepped up maritime enforcement and moved additional military assets into the Caribbean. What began as a focused campaign to disrupt sanction-busting “shadow fleet” operations has morphed into a visible projection of American power near Caracas, raising stakes across the hemisphere.
On December 10, 2025, U.S. forces executed a high-profile seizure of the tanker Skipper off Venezuela’s coast, an operation the administration described as a law-enforcement action led by the Coast Guard with support from other agencies. Video released by U.S. officials showed boarding teams descending from helicopters and securing the vessel, which U.S. authorities allege was part of a sanctioned network moving Venezuelan crude. That bold move signaled the administration’s readiness to use kinetic tools to choke off illicit oil revenue streams.
A second interception followed later in December when U.S. units intercepted the Panama-flagged Centuries east of Barbados, underscoring that this is not a single-avalanche event but a sustained effort to disrupt the maritime supply chain that props up the Maduro regime. The Coast Guard has publicly stated it is pursuing vessels believed to be facilitating sanctions evasion, and prosecutors have unsealed warrants tied to networks allegedly funneling oil to sanctioned buyers. Those successive actions have had the predictable effect of freezing shipments and deterring neutral carriers from approaching Venezuelan ports.
Washington has also reinforced its regional posture with carrier strike groups, advanced fighters, surveillance aircraft and electronic warfare platforms positioned across the Caribbean and nearby bases. Reports list assets including the USS Gerald R. Ford, F-35s, Growler electronic-attack jets, Poseidon patrol planes and unmanned systems operating to track and interdict suspect tankers. This concentrated presence is meant to back up law-enforcement seizures with overwhelming deterrence, signaling to Moscow and Tehran that the Western Hemisphere will not become a staging ground for anti-American influence.
The administration frames these measures as necessary to choke off financing for narco-terrorism and to enforce longstanding sanctions on Maduro’s regime and its networks. Treasury and justice actions have targeted vessels, intermediaries and even family members alleged to be part of corrupt and illicit trafficking schemes, while officials publicly tie some of the maritime networks to actors hostile to the United States. Cutting off those revenue streams is a legitimate national-security objective, but it also invites pushback and propaganda from authoritarian regimes looking to rally international sympathy.
From a conservative perspective, the United States has both the right and duty to defend its interests and deny sanctuary to criminal enterprises that threaten our citizens and allies. The decisive use of Coast Guard authority and military presence demonstrates necessary resolve after years of weak policy toward Caracas, and it reasserts American leadership in defending international norms at sea. However, prudence demands clear legal grounding and an exit strategy to avoid a protracted confrontation that could entangle U.S. forces in a regional quagmire.
Lawmakers must demand transparency and oversight as this campaign continues. Military deployments and law-enforcement seizures can be effective tools when narrowly applied, but Congress has a constitutional duty to review actions with potential to draw the nation into broader conflict. Oversight will reassure allies, prevent mission creep, and ensure that operations aimed at protecting America’s security remain disciplined and measured.
If the goal is to restore stability in the hemisphere, policy should pair firm pressure with a strategy that empowers democratic partners, accelerates sanctions enforcement against illicit networks, and offers a pathway that isolates Maduro without harming ordinary Venezuelans. Toughness abroad should be matched with smart diplomacy and a coalition-building approach that protects U.S. interests while minimizing unintended consequences.
