U.S. Deploys Warships Near Venezuela To Combat Drug Threats
Three U.S. Aegis-class guided-missile destroyers are set to arrive off the Venezuelan coast within the next 36 hours as part of President Donald Trump’s intensified campaign against Latin American drug cartels. Sources briefed on the matter confirmed Monday that the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson will take position in the Caribbean as the latest show of force in the administration’s fight against organized narco-terror groups.
A senior U.S. official told Reuters that approximately 4,000 sailors and Marines will be committed to the effort in the southern Caribbean region. The deployment will also involve several P-8 surveillance aircraft, additional warships, and at least one attack submarine. The buildup is expected to continue for several months, with American forces operating strictly in international waters and airspace.
Officials say the naval assets are not only being tasked with intelligence gathering and surveillance, but also remain capable of launching targeted strikes should the president authorize them. The heightened U.S. military presence underscores Trump’s pledge to confront cartel violence directly at its source, tying the effort to his broader push to secure the U.S. southern border and disrupt illegal migration.
The move drew a swift response from Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who used a televised address to claim that Venezuela would “defend our seas, our skies and our lands” against what he derided as “the outlandish, bizarre threat of a declining empire.” Caracas’ communications ministry did not immediately comment on the destroyer deployment.
In recent months, the Trump administration has designated Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, and other violent criminal organizations as global terrorist groups, escalating the legal and military framework for confronting their influence. U.S. intelligence agencies have simultaneously increased aerial monitoring of cartel operations in Mexico and Central America to map supply lines and trafficking corridors.
The arrival of the three destroyers marks the most significant U.S. naval escalation in the Caribbean since Trump’s second term began, and signals that Washington is prepared to sustain long-term pressure on cartel-linked networks operating in and around Venezuela. It also sends a clear warning to adversaries in the region that the United States will not allow drug cartels to use Venezuela’s unstable political climate as a safe haven.
For Trump, the operation reinforces his law-and-order agenda, aligning with his promises to crush international cartels, safeguard American communities from fentanyl and cocaine smuggling, and fortify the nation’s borders against drug-fueled migration waves.
