Overview

• Military officials confirmed the Arleigh Burke-class USS Stockdale has arrived in the Caribbean to support anti-narcotics operations, taking over from USS Sampson.
• There are now eight U.S. Navy surface ships in the U.S. Southern Command region, including destroyers Jason Dunham and Gravely, the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, cruiser Lake Erie and LCS Minneapolis–Saint Paul.
• Panama Canal Authority webcam images and ship-tracking data showed Stockdale transiting the Miraflores Locks and reporting position in Limón Bay before entering the Caribbean.
• The U.S. has conducted at least three lethal strikes this month on alleged drug-carrying vessels linked to Venezuela or regional cartels, actions President Trump announced publicly.
• Venezuelan officials have issued warnings and staged shows of force, and the growing military role in counternarcotics has drawn questions in Washington about international-law and oversight boundaries.