Overview

• Three Aegis destroyers — USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson — have been designated for the southern Caribbean with deployments expected to span several months.
• About 4,000 sailors and Marines, plus P-8 patrol aircraft, additional warships and an attack submarine, are included in the planned operation.
• A U.S. official told AP and Reuters the ships are expected to arrive soon, while a Pentagon official told CNN no ships have current orders to the area, underscoring uncertain timing.
• President Nicolás Maduro announced the activation of more than 4.5 million militia members and urged arming worker and peasant units to defend Venezuelan territory.
• The Trump administration doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million and designated groups such as Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel as foreign terrorist organizations, moves rejected by Caracas.