President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to deploy three Navy guided-missile destroyers off the coast of South America, expanding the U.S. military’s role in combatting drug cartels and intensifying tensions with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
According to U.S. officials, the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson–Arleigh Burke-class destroyers equipped with Aegis missile systems–will be authorized to intercept drug shipments in waters near Venezuela and Colombia. The move shifts the Navy from its traditional support role in counternarcotics operations to direct interdiction authority.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the deployment Tuesday, telling reporters, “The president is prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government–it is a narco-terror cartel.”
Escalating Confrontation with Maduro
The deployment follows Trump’s January executive order designating Latin American drug cartels–including Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, El Salvador’s MS-13, and several Mexican cartels–as foreign terrorist organizations. Earlier this month, the administration doubled its bounty on Maduro to $50 million, accusing him of being one of the world’s largest narco-traffickers.
Maduro, indicted by a U.S. federal court in 2020 on narco-terrorism charges, has denied the allegations. This week, he pledged to mobilize more than 4.5 million Venezuelan militia members nationwide in response to what he called Washington’s “mad” threats. Foreign Minister Yvan Gil dismissed the U.S. accusations as “a demonstration of the failure of its policies in the region.”
The announcement comes just weeks after Washington backed Chevron’s resumption of oil operations in Venezuela, a rare easing of sanctions tied to prisoner releases and deportation agreements.
Why Venezuela Matters
Venezuela holds some of the world’s largest oil reserves and has become a critical player in U.S. regional strategy, particularly as its economic collapse under Maduro has fueled mass migration across Latin America. Washington also views Venezuela’s deepening ties to Russia, China, and Iran as a growing security threat.
Drug cartels based in Mexico, Central America, and Venezuela generate billions of dollars annually through cocaine and fentanyl trafficking to the United States. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, their operations are a leading driver of U.S. overdose deaths and urban violence.
By deploying Navy destroyers directly into counternarcotics missions, Trump is signaling that the United States is prepared to confront both cartel networks and the Venezuelan regime that, U.S. officials argue, shelters them.
