Tensions are rising in the Caribbean. Trump is strengthening the US military presence in the region, and Maduro is responding in kind

Officials of the Trump administration have privately acknowledged that the intensification of the American pressure campaign is aimed at removing Nicolas Maduro from power, but the Venezuelan leader has in turn intensified his speech and propaganda for Venezuelans, while also requesting new military exercises of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, writes CNN.

As Donald Trump considers possible military action inside Venezuela and deploys forces in the Caribbean, Nicolas Maduro is responding in kind, redeploying troops, mobilizing “millions” of militias and denouncing US activity in the region, in what CNN describes as a sign of defiance from the leader in Caracas.

In recent weeks, the U.S. military has moved warships and other military capabilities to the region and attacked boats it says were carrying drugs off the Venezuelan coast. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump admitted that he had authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela and said that Washington was considering possible attacks on the territory of the Latin American country.

While the Bolivarian National Armed Forces has 123,000 members, Maduro claims his volunteer militias number more than 8 million reservists – experts have questioned both the number and the quality of training.

As of October 17, 20 of the 23 Venezuelan states were being militarized as part of the military mobilizations ordered by Maduro, the so-called “Independencia 200” plan.

The US is considering military action inside Venezuela

For months, the Trump administration has quietly laid the groundwork for possible military action in Venezuela, accusing Maduro of ties to drug trafficking and cartels that Washington has designated as terrorist groups that pose an imminent threat to the US. To date, however, there is no sign that Trump has decided to take that step or target the Venezuelan president directly.

Instead, according to CNN's sources, the goal was to pressure Maduro to step down on his own, including by creating a credible threat of possible US military action if he doesn't. The sources described recent attacks by the US military against vessels accused of being involved in drug trafficking as a clear signal to Maduro.

In a televised speech on Wednesday, Maduro denounced what he described as the CIA's track record of regime changes and coups around the globe.

“But our people are clear, united and aware. They have the means to once again defeat this apparent conspiracy against the peace and stability of Venezuela,” said the leader from Caracas, who continued to crack down on civil liberties in Venezuela, citing the security situation.

Multiple sources told CNN that the recent U.S. military attacks on the boats are just the beginning of a larger effort to rid the region of drug trafficking and eventually remove Maduro from power. To date, the US has carried out at least six attacks on six different vessels in the Caribbean Sea.