Overview

• Reuters and U.S. Navy officials report seven warships, a fast attack submarine and roughly 4,500 sailors and Marines, including the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale, operating in or heading to the Southern Caribbean.
• Adm. Daryl Caudle says the deployment supports operations tied to drug cartels, with P-8 patrol aircraft also flying in the region, even as the Pentagon keeps locations and specific objectives classified.
• Venezuela has lodged a protest with the U.N., sent warships and drones to patrol its coast, mobilized 15,000 troops to the Colombia border and launched militia recruitment drives, while Maduro vows U.S. forces cannot enter the country.
• Analysts and current and former officials say an invasion is unlikely and note the force is too small for sustained ground operations, as questions persist because most cocaine routes run via the Pacific or clandestine flights.
• The White House has designated multiple cartels as terrorist organizations and doubled the reward for Nicolás Maduro to $50 million, and some anonymous U.S. officials quoted by media suggest the buildup could also pressure his government.