Three Venezuelan patrol vessels closed to just 12 nautical miles from the USS George Washington, attempting to block a U.S. carrier strike group in international waters. The destroyer USS Gravely moved into position, an MH-60R Seahawk launched overhead, and the standoff escalated into one of the most intense close-approach encounters in the Caribbean this year. Radar logs, formation changes, and engine signatures revealed a deliberate attempt to force the U.S. Navy to alter course — but the carrier group held its line. This video breaks down the full timeline of the incident: the approach, the intercept geometry, the radio silence, and the moment Venezuela finally backed down. Learn how modern freedom-of-navigation operations work, why positioning matters more than firepower, and how a single decision can shift regional power dynamics. If you follow U.S. Navy operations, maritime security, Venezuela tensions, or global military strategy, this mission is essential viewing. Subscribe to Military Power for more real-time analysis of naval encounters, standoffs, and global defense developments.