Venezuelan planes fly near U.S. Navy vessel as tensions rise

Two Venezuelan military aircraft flew near a U.S. vessel in international waters on Thursday, the Defense Department said that night. The department referred to the flyby as a provocative move meant to disrupt its operations against narcotics trafficking and terrorism. The United States in February designated eight international drug cartels as terrorist organizations. In its Thursday statement, the Defense Department also characterized Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s regime as being cartel-run and warned the administration not to interfere with U.S. operations.

The fresh escalation of tensions between the two countries comes after the U.S. military killed 11 people that it said were Venezuelan gang members trafficking drugs to the United States by boat. American military aircraft also deployed to Venezuela in August following a speech in which Maduro called for millions of militiamen to prepare to fight an empire. The United States has frequently contested Maduro’s legitimacy as a leader and his support of drug trafficking.

In a separate incident this week, the United States ended a legal status for over 250,000 Venezuelan refugees in the U.S. 

What other Defense Department news came out on Thursday night? Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth teased a new name for his department: the Department of War. He responded to a Fox News social media post about the rumored change, writing the new moniker in all caps. Part of the U.S. military was named the Department of War from the 1700s until 1947, when President Harry Truman reorganized and renamed it, according to the Defense Department. President Donald Trump may sign an executive order on Friday making the change, according to the BBC.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on the deployment of U.S. aircraft to Venezuela.