Overview
- The U.S. Navy said the Gerald R. Ford carrier group crossed the Anegada Passage to join Southern Command forces conducting operations in the Caribbean.
- Officials describe Lança do Sul as a mission to expel “narcoterrorists” and disrupt transnational drug networks under a presidential directive, with Adm. Alvin Holsey stressing regional deterrence.
- Press accounts report at least 20 strikes on suspected trafficking boats since September with more than 75 deaths, and cite a Justice Department memo framing cartel violence as armed conflict to justify the actions.
- Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ordered the mobilization of 200,000 troops and created civil-military defense commands as tensions rose over the U.S. buildup.
- Analysts argue a carrier offers little utility for small-boat interdiction and see the deployment as political pressure on Caracas rather than a purely operational requirement.