Venezuela has announced a major military exercise, reportedly involving 200,000 troops, as a U.S. Navy flotilla nears Caribbean waters.

There are no barriers to Russia providing friendly countries, like Venezuela, with new Russian technology, a senior official said.

A Latin American strongman accused of drug trafficking and rigging elections openly defies the White House despite threats of military action.

Venezuelan opposition groups, NGOs, Washington and some Latin American governments have accused Maduro's administration and the Venezuelan military of ties to drug trafficking, especially in the country's west, where Colombian guerrilla groups like the National Liberation Army operate and coca, the base ingredient in cocaine, is widely cultivated.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & NatSec newsletter {beacon} Defense &National Security   The Big Story  Responding to US buildup, Venezuela launches ‘massive’ military

Former Venezuelan National Assembly deputy Miguel A. Pizarro said he supports potential U.S. military intervention in Venezuela during a panel at the Institute of Politics Wednesday evening.

On Nov. 11, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, arrived in the Caribbean Sea as part of a military deployment the US says is intended to counter Latin American narco-traffickers.