The U.S. Department of War has deployed eight Navy warships and multiple other military assets to the Caribbean amid increased tension between President Donald Trump’s administration and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government.
Following the Trump administration’s lethal strike last week that killed 11 narco-terrorists transporting illegal drugs to the United States, the Venezuelan military engaged in a “highly provocative move” against a U.S. Navy ship in the region. The incident was quickly met with a strong response by the Pentagon.
In a Thursday post on X, formerly Twitter, the U.S. Department of War stated, “Today, two Maduro regime military aircraft flew near a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters. This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations. The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the U.S. military.”
A source familiar with the situation told Fox News that the Pentagon was deploying 10 F-35 stealth fighter jets to Puerto Rico for additional anti-narcotic trafficking operations.
According to The New York Times, the U.S. military has deployed eight Navy warships, an attack submarine, and multiple Navy P-8 surveillance aircraft to the Caribbean.
Department of War officials confirmed that the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, which includes the U.S.S. Iwo Jima, the U.S.S. Antonio, and the U.S.S. Fort Lauderdale, was deployed near Puerto Rico on Friday. The New York Times reported that the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group is comprised of 4,500 Navy sailors and has AV-8B Harrier attack aircraft.
In addition to the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, which includes 2,200 Marines, was also deployed to the region on Friday, according to The New York Times.
Other Navy warships deployed to the Caribbean region include the U.S.S. Gravely and the U.S.S. Jason Dunham, two Navy guided-missile destroyers; the U.S.S. Lake Erie, a guided-missile cruiser; and the Minneapolis-St. Paul, a littoral combat ship.
Following last week’s U.S. military strike against narco-terrorists from Venezuela, Trump issued a major warning to criminal drug cartels. “Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America,” the president stated. “BEWARE!”
