Overview

• Defense officials confirm the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson are deploying near Venezuela for an assignment expected to last several months.
• The White House says the operation targets transnational drug networks following foreign terrorist organization labels for multiple cartels and an increased $50 million reward for information on Nicolás Maduro.
• Reporting attributes roughly 4,000 Marines, P-8 surveillance flights and at least one submarine to the broader buildup, though the Pentagon has not detailed troop numbers.
• Venezuela says it is mobilizing 4.5 million militia members in response, and Mexico’s president reiterates that U.S. forces will not operate on Mexican territory.
• China condemns the U.S. deployment as interference, and separate media reports say Northern Command was told to prepare lethal options against cartel targets, a developing claim.