Overview

• White House officials confirmed the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson are heading to waters off Venezuela, with the Pentagon saying the deployment will roll out over several months.
• U.S. officials say the mission supports counter‑narcotics operations following recent terror designations for groups such as Tren de Aragua and MS‑13 and a doubled $50 million reward for Nicolás Maduro.
• Reporting indicates the destroyers are part of a broader posture that includes P‑8 surveillance aircraft, at least one warship and an attack submarine, and thousands of Marines routed to U.S. Southern Command.
• Venezuela rejected U.S. accusations through Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, with Maduro announcing a mobilization of more than 4.5 million militia members and authorities temporarily restricting drone operations.
• Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated that U.S. forces will not operate on Mexican soil, while military analysts say the high‑end destroyers are better seen as a signal than a pure counternarcotics tool.