The US military is upgrading a Cold War base in the Caribbean it abandoned 20 years ago. Experts say it’s a step towards sustained operations in the region.

On Friday, Trump said he was designating Nigeria as a "country of particular concern," a legal designation from the U.S. State Department for countries "responsible for particularly severe violations of religious freedom," with Trump saying that "Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria."

President Donald Trump threatens military action against Nigeria over Christian killings, orders aid suspension and warns of "guns-a-blazing" response to Islamic terrorism.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday that U.S. military action inside Mexico "won't happen" when asked about an NBC News report published a day earlier, which said the U.S. had begun planning for a new anti-cartel mission inside Mexico.

The U.S. military has built up an unusually large force in the Caribbean Sea. The Navy has eight warships in the region.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & NatSec newsletter{beacon} Defense &National Security Defense &National Security   The Big Story US military buildup in Caribbean

Experts call it "21st-century gunboat diplomacy" as U.S. positions strike-capable forces in Caribbean amid tensions with Maduro regime and cartels.

More than two weeks after President Donald Trump said he would halt “all payments” to Colombia, there has not been any interruption to the assistance, even after the administration sanctioned the country’s President Gustavo Petro accusing him of playing a “role in the global illicit drug trade.

Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday he expects the Trump administration to pay military personnel on Friday, even as the government shutdown shows no end in sight.

The US military bombed two more suspected drug smuggling vessels — this time in the Eastern Pacific — killing five “narco-terrorists” on board, War Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed