In recent months, the sustained increase in the presence of U.S. Armed Forces in the Caribbean has raised questions about a possible large-scale operation in Venezuela’s area of influence. Movements recorded between September and November show a coordinated deployment of air, naval, and amphibious units from the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), officially framed within the campaign against Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs), but with a growing strategic focus on the region near Venezuela.
Increase in forces and assets in the Caribbean
In September, Marines from the 3rd Battalion Landing Team (BLT36), part of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), conducted exercises with 25mm M242 Bushmaster cannons at Camp Santiago, Puerto Rico.
At the same time, the U.S. government ordered the deployment of ten F-35 stealth fighters to Puerto Rico as part of its counternarcotics operations in the southern Caribbean. The fifth-generation aircraft were stationed at an undisclosed air base, tasked with supporting operations against criminal organizations designated as “narco-terrorist.”
This reinforcement adds to an already significant military presence, which includes over 4,500 deployed personnel, at least eight warships, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, and Marine units stationed in the southern part of the island and areas near Venezuela.
Since mid-August, the amphibious group led by the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7), along with the USS San Antonio (LPD-17) and USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28), has been operating in the area. They are joined by the destroyers USS Gravely (DDG-107), USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109), and USS Sampson (DDG-102), as well as the littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis–St. Paul (LCS-21). The deployment also includes the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70), equipped with the AEGIS combat system, and the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Newport News (SSN-750).
At the same time, official sources confirmed the arrival of armed MQ-9 Reaper drones in Puerto Rico, intended to strengthen surveillance and strike missions against criminal organizations linked to drug trafficking. Images released showed one of these aircraft operating from Rafael Hernández International Airport in Aguadilla, in the island’s northwest. The drones, armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, can conduct reconnaissance and precision strikes against moving targets such as fast boats used in illicit trafficking.
Strategic flights and long-range deterrence
During October, aerial activity intensified with the detection of U.S. Air Force B-52 strategic bombers flying over the Caribbean. According to open-source intelligence (OSINT) reports, at least two B-52s flew over the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America) and the Yucatán Channel, remaining visible north of the Venezuelan coast for more than an hour.
The bombers approached Gran Roque and La Orchila islands, where Venezuela maintains military installations about 160 kilometers from Caracas. Although there were no official statements, analysts interpreted the flight as a demonstration of SOUTHCOM’s power projection capabilities in the area. U.S. military sources stated that it was a training mission for long-range deterrence operations, based out of Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.
Shortly after, another unusual flight was recorded: B-1B Lancer bombers took off from Florida, accompanied by three KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft, in an operation that took them over the western Atlantic and Bahamian airspace heading south. The flight callsigns —“BAT-21” and “BAT-22”— were detected by OSINT observers.
Although neither the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) nor USSOUTHCOM confirmed the mission, it is presumed to have been part of the global Bomber Task Force (BTF) exercises, designed to demonstrate the ability to operate from and toward multiple theaters of operations. The observed flight pattern suggests an approach to areas near Venezuelan airspace.
Arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford
In November, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) crossed the Strait of Gibraltar toward the Atlantic, heading to the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility to join the naval deployment in the Caribbean. According to naval observers and a Department of Defense source, the Ford’s strike group will integrate into operations against Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) in Central and South America.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell stated on October 24 via social media platform X: “The reinforced presence of U.S. forces in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility will strengthen the United States’ ability to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that threaten the security and prosperity of the homeland, as well as stability in the Western Hemisphere. These forces will enhance and expand existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs.”
Conclusion
The set of maneuvers, deployments, and redeployments carried out by the United States between September and November represents an unprecedented recent escalation of military activity in the Caribbean. While all actions have been officially justified as part of security and counternarcotics operations, the scale of the assets involved —including strategic bombers, stealth fighters, and a nuclear aircraft carrier— reinforces the perception that Washington seeks to project deterrence and control in a key geostrategic area.
Particularly, if the U.S. rhetoric focuses on combating and eradicating narco-terrorism in the region—and considering that Nicolás Maduro has already been labeled as the leader of the criminal organization known as the “Cartel de los Soles”—this demonstration of military superiority appears aimed not only at eliminating cocaine-laden speedboats traversing the Caribbean, but also at exerting pressure on the Venezuelan government.
Images for illustrative purposes.
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