U.S. Navy conducts joint mission with Guyana close to Essequibo

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) performed operations with the Guyana Defence Force Defiant-class patrol vessel GDFS Shahous (1039) within the Caribbean Sea off Guyana’s japanese coast on November 22, 2025.

According to U.S. officers, the deployment helps U.S. Southern Command missions, Department of War-directed operations, and presidential priorities centered on disrupting illicit drug trafficking and defending the homeland.

The operation positioned a U.S. Navy front-line destroyer alongside certainly one of Guyana’s latest patrol vessels throughout a interval of expanded maritime cooperation within the area. The Department of War mentioned the deployment types a part of a broader effort to enhance coordination with companion nations in areas going through persistent narcotics motion.

According to U.S. navy officers, forces assigned to Southern Command proceed to hold out interdiction patrols, intelligence sharing, and naval cooperation actions with regional companions. The USS Winston S. Churchill, outfitted with guided missiles and long-range sensors, conducts missions designed to trace and disrupt maritime drug routes that transfer north towards Central America and the United States.

The Guyana Defence Force vessel GDFS Shahous, which operates near Guyana’s unique financial zone, joined Churchill for maneuvering drills and communication checks. As famous by U.S. Navy personnel in earlier public supplies, such workouts permit crews to apply ship dealing with, change operational procedures, and refine coordination throughout interdiction eventualities.

The Department of War mentioned in a launch that U.S. forces within the Caribbean are conducting missions tied to disrupting transnational felony networks. The deployment of a destroyer underscores the precedence positioned on maritime safety throughout sea lanes utilized by smugglers shifting narcotics towards the United States.

The cooperation additionally comes in opposition to the backdrop of latest instability in northern South America. In 2023, Guyana entered a interval of sharp confrontation with Venezuela after Caracas claimed rights to the resource-rich Essequibo area. In December 2023, Venezuela performed a referendum that included a query on whether or not the area ought to change into a part of Venezuela and whether or not its inhabitants ought to obtain Venezuelan citizenship. Caracas overtly said its intention to take management of the territory by power, however neighboring nations and the United States intervened diplomatically and militarily to stop an escalation. The episode heightened consideration on Guyana’s safety atmosphere and elevated the worth of regional maritime partnerships.

U.S. Southern Command has reported in earlier statements that its mission within the Caribbean consists of cooperation with companion navies, bettering maritime area consciousness, and supporting regional readiness for counter-drug operations.

The U.S. Navy has operated within the Caribbean Sea for many years in help of those missions.