The U.S. deployment in the Caribbean continues increasing its operational tempo and activities under Operation Southern Spear, and at the center of these activities is the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22nd MEU), one of the seven expeditionary units of the United States Marine Corps and one of the main military tools currently available to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) in the region. The unit fields a component of approximately 2,200 personnel and is organized as a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF), an air-ground task force composed of ground, air, and logistics combat elements designed to act rapidly in crisis scenarios.
According to the ongoing monitoring of the United States’ deployment in the Caribbean, the 22nd MEU is deployed aboard the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) and USS San Antonio (LPD-17), platforms from which it has carried out over the past weeks a series of training activities in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Sea. According to information released by SOUTHCOM, the Marines recently conducted reconnaissance and surveillance (R&S) exercises in the mountainous terrain of Camp Santiago, along with small-unit leadership drills and advanced marksmanship programs. These activities included parachuting exercises and integrated platoon training aimed at maintaining readiness for expeditionary operations in complex environments.
At the same time, while the USS Iwo Jima sailed through the Caribbean, MEU personnel executed artillery and indirect-fire exercises, along with deck-mounted weapons training using M240B machine guns, as part of preparation for amphibious operations and maritime security. These activities, recorded between October 23 and 25, are part of the training cycle the unit carries out during its embarked deployment, combining land-based instruction with naval exercises.
The U.S. Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, highlighted a few days ago that the 22nd MEU “is training to be ready for any type of conflict in the Southern Command’s area of responsibility,” stressing that the Marines “are prepared to dominate in any terrain.” In a recent interview, Hegseth emphasized that operations in the Caribbean are also tied to the broader strategy to disrupt transnational criminal networks, especially those linked to drug trafficking.
The 22nd MEU’s exercises are being conducted in parallel with the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and other ships from Carrier Strike Group 12, which entered the Caribbean in mid-November. However, the presence of the MEU represents a fundamental component of the campaign: the Marine Corps’ expeditionary units are designed to operate with tactical autonomy, carry out amphibious operations, evacuations, maritime security missions, and rapid responses to humanitarian or crisis contingencies.
Within the framework of Operation Southern Spear, the combination of naval power, aerial assets, and expeditionary ground forces—these last provided by the 22nd MEU—symbolizes a decisive capability to project land power from the task force deployed near Venezuela. The sustained activity of the 22nd MEU in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Sea reflects not only the unit’s readiness, but also the United States’ growing strategic interest in generating decisive effects as part of its deployment against networks linked to drug trafficking.
*Images: USMC
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