Members of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit will spend October in the U.S. Southern Command area of operations.

Roughly 600 service members participated in the Air Force's New Horizons humanitarian outreach program.

The Navy hospital ship Comfort will deploy next month to the Caribbean and Central and South America to provide assistance.

"In addition to mercenaries and Russian troops, the Kremlin has also publicly signaled its support for Maduro."

"The final phase in the collapse of South American strongmen is typically the point at which the military switches sides."

About 300 U.S. Marines and Navy sailors deployed last year to Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras.

As Russia and China make inroads in the region, U.S. officials are participating more across Latin America.

So far, Operation Enduring Promise 2018 has treated about 20,000 patients in Latin American countries.

Mattis and the outgoing SOUTHCOM commander praised the recent decision to send a U.S. Navy hospital ship to aid Venezuela.

The Coast Guard seized 226 tons of cocaine last year and brought in 708 suspected drug smugglers.