Overview

• White House and Pentagon officials confirm the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson are deploying to the southern Caribbean for a months-long assignment supporting counternarcotics.
• A U.S. official says roughly 4,000 Marines and sailors, P-8 surveillance aircraft, additional warships, and at least one submarine are part of the broader deployment.
• The administration casts the buildup as part of its campaign to use the military against cartels, following terrorist designations for several groups and a newly doubled $50 million reward for Nicolás Maduro.
• Venezuela dismisses U.S. drug-trafficking claims as baseless as Maduro announces plans to mobilize about 4.5 million militia members and authorities temporarily restrict drone use.
• Journalistic reports say NORTHCOM was directed to prepare lethal-strike options against cartel targets in Mexico by mid-September, a move Mexico’s president rejects; China publicly urges Washington to respect sovereignty and the UN Charter.