Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told U.S. troops on Wednesday that major developments tied to Venezuela will be announced in the near term, framed within ongoing American efforts to disrupt drug trafficking groups.
Speaking to service members at the Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba, Hegseth described coordination with other countries aimed at identifying the operating locations of organizations he labeled as designated terrorist groups involved in drug production.
"Now were working with countries in their countries to find where these designated terrorists operate, where they create their drugs," Hegseth said during the visit.
He told the assembled troops that Venezuela has become a partner in those activities. "In fact, theres some big news coming out of Venezuela very soon on that subject, because now weve got a partner there in Venezuela willing to work with us," Hegseth said.
The remarks were delivered directly to service members stationed at the U.S. base in Cuba, where Hegseth outlined the collaborative nature of the work without providing further operational details or a timeline for the promised announcements.
Hegseths comments emphasize that the U.S. is coordinating with foreign governments to locate sites linked to what he described as designated terrorist organizations and their drug-production activities, and that Venezuela has agreed to cooperate in that effort. Beyond the statements quoted above, Hegseth did not disclose additional specifics about the nature of the developments he said would be announced soon.
Context and next steps
The secretarys statements indicate ongoing multinational work to identify where certain groups operate and produce drugs, and point to an upcoming announcement described as "big news" related to Venezuela. The public remarks did not include details about which countries are involved, the scope of operations, or the timing and content of the expected announcement.
As presented at the Guantanamo Bay visit, the information is limited to Hegseths characterization of the targets as designated terrorist organizations, the collaborative approach with other countries, and the assertion that Venezuela has become a partner willing to work with the United States.