US Navy Deploys Destroyers Near Venezuela as Maduro Mobilizes Militia

A new military confrontation edge emerged in the Caribbean this week as the United States deployed three guided-m missile destroyers and thousands of troops toward Venezuela’s coast, while Caracas hardened its posture at home and along its borders. Washington says the moves are part of a campaign to disrupt cocaine trafficking and narcotics networks linked to Venezuela, while President Nicolas Maduro has responded by mobilizing a massive militia and reinforcing security on the Colombian border. The escalation comes after the United States doubled its reward for Maduro’s arrest to $50 million and designated allied criminal networks as foreign terrorist organizations, a terminology Maduro’s government rejects as false and destabilizing.

Three U.S. Navy destroyers and an amphibious squadron carrying several thousand service members are nearing the Caribbean region, with arrival expected within days. The ships are part of a broader force buildup intended to bolster counterillicit and counternarcotics operations in what the White House describes as a theater of national-security concern. Washington has not publicly disclosed all mission details, but the deployment underscores a...