U.S. military officials required to sign NDAs tied to Latin America mission: Reuters

U.S. military officials progressive with President Donald Trump's expanding operations in Latin America have been asked to motion non-disclosure agreements, three U.S. officials say, a improvement that raises caller questions astir a subject buildup that Venezuela fears whitethorn pb to an invasion.

The measurement is highly unusual, fixed that U.S. military officials are already required to shield nationalist information secrets from nationalist view, and comes arsenic lawmakers in Congress say they are being kept successful the acheronian astir cardinal aspects of the mission.

The officials who spoke to Reuters connected information of anonymity did not cognize however galore members of the U.S. Defense Department had been asked to motion the agreements and did not connection further details connected the scope of the NDAs.

While the Defense Department has turned to NDAs from clip to clip since Pete Hegseth became defence caput successful January, the Pentagon's usage of non-disclosure agreements circumstantial to activities in Latin America has not been antecedently reported. The Pentagon announced past week the deployment of the Gerald Ford craft bearer radical to Latin America, escalating a subject buildup that experts accidental acold exceeds immoderate request for counter-narcotics operations -- the stated intent of the U.S. mission so far. The U.S. military has carried retired astatine slightest 13 strikes against alleged cause vessels, mostly successful the Caribbean, since aboriginal September, sidesplitting astir 57 people. The Pentagon has provided fewer details astir the radical targeted but has acknowledged immoderate of them see radical from Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.

The bearer onslaught radical adds different astir 10,000 troops and tremendous firepower to a buildup that already includes guided rocket destroyers, F-35 combatant jets, a atomic submarine and astir 6,500 troops.

The Pentagon has not explained wherefore specified firepower is required for the counter-narcotics operations.

Hegseth has taken a bid of steps to effort to power the travel of accusation since taking implicit the Pentagon successful January. He told Pentagon unit they indispensable get support earlier interacting with members of Congress, according to an Oct. 15 memo. He has besides launched leak investigations and demanded Pentagon-based journalists motion a caller property entree policy, taking distant the credentials of those who did not.

The Pentagon did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Trump's medication has been tying the governments of Venezuela and, much recently, neighboring Colombia directly to the cause trade, allegations denied by some governments. The claims, however, person raised concerns that the U.S. military mightiness beryllium tasked with carrying retired attacks successful some countries.

Senator Lindsey Graham, a elder Republican lawmaker with adjacent ties to Trump, suggested successful a tv interrogation on Sunday Trump would soon outline to Congress "future imaginable subject operations against Venezuela and Colombia."

Washington in August doubled its reward for accusation starring to Maduro's apprehension to $50 million, accusing him of links to cause trafficking and transgression groups that Maduro denies. Tensions between the United States and Venezuela's neighbor, Colombia, person besides spiked successful caller days, with Trump accusing Colombian President Gustavo Petro of being an "illegal cause leader" and a "bad guy" - connection Petro's authorities says is offensive. Washington on Friday imposed sanctions connected Petro.

Graham said Trump had each the authorization helium needed to transportation retired operations in Latin America.

"These subject assets are moving guardant to woody with a state that's got humor connected its hands erstwhile it comes to Americans by flooding our state with drugs from Venezuela and Colombia," Graham told CBS News' "Face the Nation" with Margaret Brennan.

"So, I anticipation Maduro would permission peacefully, but I don't deliberation he's going to enactment astir overmuch longer."