US military officials required to sign NDAs tied to Latin America mission, sources say

U.S. military officials involved with President Donald Trump's expanding operations in Latin America have been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements, three U.S. officials say, a development that raises new questions about a military buildup that Venezuela fears may lead to an invasion.

The step is highly unusual, given that U.S. military officials are already required to shield national security secrets from public view, and comes as lawmakers in Congress say they are being kept in the dark about key aspects of the mission.

The officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity did not know how many members of the U.S. Defense Department had been asked to sign the agreements and did not offer further details on the scope of the NDAs.

While the Defense Department has turned to NDAs from time to time since Pete Hegseth became defense secretary in January, the Pentagon's use of non-disclosure agreements specific to activities in Latin America has not been previously reported.

The Pentagon announced last week the deployment of the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier group to Latin America, escalating a military buildup that experts say far exceeds any requirement for counter-narcotics operations -- the stated intent of the U.S. mission so far.