The United States will deploy 10 F-35 fighter jets to a Puerto Rico airfield as part of a stepped-up campaign against drug cartels in the southern Caribbean.
The move adds to a growing U.S. military presence in the region under President Donald Trump, who has vowed to target narco-terrorist groups he blames for smuggling drugs into the country.
The jets are expected to arrive by late next week.
Military Escalation
The deployment follows a U.S. strike on Tuesday against a Venezuelan boat Trump said was carrying “massive amounts of drugs.”
Eleven people were killed in the attack, which appeared to mark the start of a sustained military campaign in Latin America.
Seven U.S. warships and one nuclear-powered submarine are either already in the region or expected to arrive soon, carrying more than 4,500 Marines and sailors.
The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit has been conducting amphibious training and flight operations in southern Puerto Rico.
Targeting Venezuela
The buildup has placed pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has described as “effectively a kingpin of a drug narco state.”
Maduro countered at a press conference this week that Washington is “seeking a regime change through military threat.”
