A new scandal has erupted in the United States concerning the military operation of Donald Trump's administration in Latin America. As Reuters reports, citing three American officials, military personnel involved in the mission were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements – a step that even within the Pentagon is called "unprecedented" and which raises suspicions of excessive secrecy. This is stated in the Reuters material, writes UNN.
Details
According to sources, it is unknown how many military personnel were obliged to remain silent and what specific aspects of the operation fall under non-disclosure. It is only known that the document concerns the expansion of the US military presence in the region, which Washington officially explains as "combating drug trafficking." However, experts warn that the scale of the deployment far exceeds the actual needs of such operations, and Venezuela has already stated that it considers this as preparation for a potential invasion.
Last week, the Pentagon announced the deployment of the "Gerald Ford" aircraft carrier strike group to Latin America, adding about 10,000 more troops, a nuclear submarine, destroyers, and F-35 fighters to the existing contingent of 6,500 personnel. Since early September, US forces have carried out at least 13 strikes on vessels suspected of drug trafficking, resulting in the deaths of over 50 people – mostly from Venezuela, Colombia, and Ecuador.
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The Pentagon has not provided detailed comments either on the mission's objectives or on why such significant firepower is being deployed. At the same time, acting Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who took over the department in January, has tightened control over information flows. According to an internal memorandum dated October 15, all contacts with Congress now require his personal permission. Also, journalists at the Pentagon were required to sign a new press access policy, and those who refused were stripped of their accreditation.