The USS Stockdale (DDG106), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, has officially entered the Caribbean Sea after transiting the Panama Canal, according to an X post by Flightwatcher1 at approximately 2:39 PM UTC on September 22nd, 2025. This deployment is noted as part of a Caribbean operation against "Los Soles." Further bolstering its presence, the USNS Watkins, a logistics ship capable of transporting over 900 vehicles including tanks and trucks, has also set course for the Caribbean Sea, as reported by DSDVNZLA and Flightwatcher1. Additionally, a U.S. Air Force KC-46A Pegasus aircraft was observed providing aerial refueling to F-35B aircraft south of Puerto Rico, assisting in missions within the Caribbean Sea. This increased naval and aerial activity occurs as a United Nations mission confirmed "crimes against humanity" in Venezuela earlier on September 22nd, 2025, detailing systematic torture, forced disappearances, and arbitrary arrests. The UN report highlighted over 2,200 mass and arbitrary arrests and noted that the Maduro regime's actions could not be justified by external factors like potential U.S. military deployment. Separately, the Dominican Republic announced the seizure of 377 packages of cocaine from a speedboat destroyed by the U.S. Navy, and a draft White House bill seeks to expand President Donald Trump's authority for military operations against drug cartels.
