US Sending Three Guided-Missile Destroyers to Venezuela Coast to Fight Drug Cartels

The United States has deployed three Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers to the coast of Venezuela as part of operations against drug cartels.

The Associated Press reported that the destroyers USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson had been assigned to patrol the region and were expected to arrive in the area of operations on August 20th, 2025.

According to government sources cited by the news agency, the ships will remain in place for several months before being rotated.

The move drew strong reactions across Latin America, particularly from Venezuela, which has announced plans to mobilize a 4.5 million-strong militia.

“This week I will activate a special plan involving more than 4.5 million militia members to cover the entire national territory — a militia that is trained, activated and armed,” Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said in a televised address.

He added that the militia would’ve been equipped with cannons and missiles to strike American ships if hostilities had broken out.

Despite the threat, U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to raise the reward for Maduro’s capture.

Trump has also clashed with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum over cartel policy, calling for greater security cooperation and tougher action against Mexican cartels than her predecessor undertook.

Previously, Militarnyi reported that the Trump administration was considering drone strikes against cartels in Mexico as part of efforts to curb drug trafficking across the U.S. southern border.

U.S. military and intelligence agencies have sharply increased surveillance flights over Mexico to monitor the activities of major cartels involved in fentanyl smuggling.

The Pentagon has identified cartel-operated drones, used for reconnaissance and cross-border trafficking, as a key problem. Cartels have also deployed kamikaze drones in internal conflicts for several years. In response, the U.S. military has expanded a radar network to monitor the airspace.