US WARSHIPS SURGE INTO SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN TO HIT CARTELS IN BORDER CRACKDOWN

The U.S. has surged multiple Navy warships—plus a fast-attack submarine—to the Southern Caribbean, with officials framing the move as a counternarcotics push targeting Latin American cartels tied to the U.S. border crisis. The deployment, alongside P-8 surveillance flights, follows policy shifts authorizing military options against designated cartels. Venezuela’s Maduro condemned the buildup as a threat and mobilized forces near Colombia while urging civil defense training. The White House says regional partners back stepped-up counterdrug efforts, and assets are operating in international waters.