VENEZUELA – In response to the ongoing US military presence along its coast, Venezuela military buildup was on Tuesday enhanced with a massive deployment.

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said that nearly 200,000 military personnel were mobilized nationwide for an exercise he framed as a countermeasure against “threats” from the US.

“Almost 200,000 troops have been deployed throughout the country for this exercise,” Padrino Lopez told state television, adding that this effort is in addition to the armed forces’ regular operations.

The move was coupled with legislative action. On Tuesday, Venezuela’s National Assembly passed a law designed to fortify the country’s defense strategy against the US military buildup.

National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez emphasized that the law establishes “a new way of dealing with the deployment, compliance with orders, the movement of troops and, above all, the conjunction between the people and the Armed Forces.”

The Venezuelan deployment coincided with the arrival of one of the world’s most powerful warships, the USS Gerald R. Ford, into the region, fueling concerns over military escalation. The US Navy confirmed the aircraft carrier’s entry into the US Southern Command area of responsibility, which covers Latin America and the Caribbean.

The US maintains that its largest military buildup in decades in the Caribbean is aimed at combating drug trafficking. The deployment has included a series of at least 19 attacks on vessels in international waters, reportedly resulting in the deaths of at least 75 people.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has denied the drug trafficking accusations, instead asserting that the United States is “manufacturing a war” against his nation in an attempt to remove him from power.