Overview

• The United States has reinforced operations in the southern Caribbean with nearly a dozen warships, including destroyers and a submarine, supported by F‑35 fighters based in Puerto Rico for stated counternarcotics missions.
• Venezuela ran three days of drills on La Orchila featuring 12 navy vessels, 22 aircraft, amphibious vehicles, missile and rocket launches, and about 2,500 personnel.
• State media highlighted Russian‑supplied hardware in the drills, including Sukhoi fighter jets, artillery and S‑300 air defense radars.
• Caracas has called up reservists, expanded militia enrollment and trained civilians with small arms as part of a broader mobilization.
• President Nicolás Maduro’s government labels the U.S. presence a military threat and an undeclared war aimed at regime change, while experts question the real readiness of Venezuelan forces.