Overview

• Seven U.S. warships and at least one nuclear-powered attack submarine are moving into the southern Caribbean with roughly 4,500 personnel, including about 2,200 Marines, according to U.S. officials.
• Navy chief Adm. Daryl Caudle confirmed the deployment supports operations targeting drug cartels linked to Venezuela, while declining to detail classified objectives.
• The White House has directed the Pentagon to prepare contingency options under expanded authorities that include recent terrorist designations for several cartels and a $50 million reward for Nicolás Maduro.
• Caracas has sent warships and drones to patrol its coast, launched militia recruitment drives, deployed 15,000 troops to the Colombia border, and lodged a formal protest with the U.N.
• U.S. officials have not signaled a ground incursion, and experts say a large-scale invasion is improbable, though they warn the buildup heightens the risk of miscalculation and regional fallout.