Since late August, the United States military has quietly but significantly bolstered its presence across the Caribbean, deploying approximately 10,000 troops both at sea and on land.
This marks the largest U.S. force deployment in the region in decades, officially framed by the Trump administration as a mission focused on combating drugs and terrorism.
Additionally, the U.S. has conducted several lethal strikes against boats alleged by the administration to be involved in narcotics trafficking. Videos of these strikes have been shared by President Trump and other officials on social media.
Evidence of this substantial military increase is widely available through commercial and scientific satellite imagery, as well as photographs posted on social media by local residents. Even some military flight paths are trackable on public websites, with the military itself providing further details on its Caribbean operations.
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Small combat ship
U.S.S. Wichita
Six Reaper drones
Three surveillance aircraft
Seen Oct. 14
cuba
10 stealth fighters
Puerto
rico
Two replenishment ships
Seen Oct. 12
Caribbean Sea
Iwo Jima
Amphibious
Ready Group
Three
guided-missile
destroyers
Special forces ship
and guided-missile
cruiser
Seen Oct. 16
Venezuela
200 Miles
u.s.
Small combat ship
U.S.S. Wichita
Six Reaper drones
Three surveillance aircraft
Seen Oct. 14
cuba
10 stealth fighters
Puerto
rico
Two replenishment ships
Seen Oct. 12
Iwo Jima
Amphibious
Ready Group
Three
guided-missile
destroyers
Caribbean Sea
Special forces ship
and guided-missile
cruiser
Seen Oct. 16
Venezuela
COLOMBIA
200 Miles
However, behind the scenes, officials have revealed that the primary objective of this troop surge, which President Trump indicated could also involve covert C.I.A. operations, is to oust Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro.
Roughly half of the U.S. contingent is deployed on eight Navy warships, comprising approximately 2,200 Marines with their accompanying fighter jets. The remaining, slightly larger portion of the force is stationed predominantly at former U.S. military sites in Puerto Rico, now operating as civilian airports. These locations host Marine Corps F-35 fighter jets, Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones, and various other surveillance aircraft and support teams.
A Heightened Showcase of Military Power
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u.s.
Atlantic
Ocean
Flight path of a
U.S. B-52 bomber
on Oct. 15
Airspace
monitored
by Venezuela
cuba
mexico
Caribbean Sea
Venezuela
colombia
400 Miles
u.s.
Flight path of a
U.S. B-52 bomber
on Oct. 15
Atlantic Ocean
Airspace
monitored
by Venezuela
cuba
mexico
Caribbean Sea
Venezuela
colombia
400 Miles
Recently, the region has witnessed a dramatic demonstration of aerial capabilities. On Wednesday, at least two B-52 bombers, originating from Louisiana, conducted several hours of flights off the Venezuelan coast. A senior U.S. official described this as ‘a show of force.’ Notably, these bombers, while operating in international airspace, traversed an air traffic control zone managed by Venezuela. B-52s are capable of carrying numerous precision-guided bombs.
Furthermore, an elite Army Special Operations unit has been conducting helicopter flights over the waters separating Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago. Residents further south have documented U.S. Navy surveillance planes operating over southern Trinidad and Tobago, mere miles from the Venezuelan coastline, by sharing videos on social media.
A U.S. Navy P-8A surveillance plane flies over Trinidad.
The New York Times has also identified the M.V. Ocean Trader, a specialized vessel that functions as a Special Operations headquarters and is frequently employed in covert missions. Satellite imagery located the ship approximately 85 miles northeast of Venezuela.
Additionally, two substantial Navy replenishment vessels, critical for delivering fuel and supplies to warships, were observed in Puerto Rico on Sunday.
U.S. military officials said the air and naval operations were, at least for now, training missions — not rehearsals for possible military strikes in Venezuela. But this type of military presence in the region speaks to the increased pressure on Mr. Maduro and gives Mr. Trump options for what to do next.
Strategic Positioning: America’s Deployment
While the U.S. military’s expansion has been most apparent in naval activities, the Pentagon has also discreetly deployed several thousand personnel, including flight crews, maintenance experts, security forces, and other support staff, to various regional bases.
Puerto Rico serves as the primary U.S. military hub for its Caribbean operations, with Rafael Hernández Airport in Aguadilla now functioning as a key center for armed drone flights. Recent satellite imagery confirms the construction of a new bunker last month, designed for storing drone ammunition.
Adjacent to this new ammunition bunker, imagery also reveals an MQ-9 Reaper drone, a versatile aircraft capable of both reconnaissance and precision strikes.
Across the island, near the town of Ceiba, more than a dozen military aircraft are stationed. This includes Marine Corps F-35 stealth fighter jets, helicopters, and at least one Air Force AC-130 gunship. These missions operate from an airport at the former Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, which had been decommissioned by the military in 2004.
In the U.S. Virgin Islands, specifically on St. Croix, a smaller airport is home to three Air Force refueling aircraft and a newly installed radar system. This radar, strategically positioned on a hilltop with views of the Caribbean, is utilized by the Air Force for airspace surveillance and aircraft tracking, as evidenced by a photograph shared by a local resident.
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Search radar system
Search radar system