Overview
- Venezuelan officials named the USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109) as the ship that boarded the tuna vessel Carmen Rosa near La Blanquilla, saying 18 armed personnel occupied it and kept the crew incommunicado.
- The Venezuelan government released photos and video from the fishermen and said its armed forces tracked the episode throughout and escorted the crew after their release.
- CNN reported it requested comment from the U.S. Defense and State Departments on the boarding allegation and had received no response at the time of publication.
- Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said military instruction for new recruits and militia members will be held every Saturday, following nationwide training in 312 units under Plan Independencia 200.
- Tensions have risen with expanded U.S. naval and air deployments in the Caribbean and a recent U.S. lethal strike that Washington linked to narcotrafficking and that Caracas disputes.