The United States is sending 10 F-35 stealth fighter jets to Puerto Rico to step up operations against drug cartels, sources confirmed Friday, in a move that intensifies Washington’s growing military footprint in the Caribbean and further strains relations with Venezuela.
The deployment follows a string of confrontations this week, including a U.S. military strike on a vessel alleged to be carrying narcotics from Venezuela that killed 11 people, and what the Pentagon described as a “highly provocative” flyover by Venezuelan fighter jets above a U.S. Navy destroyer.
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According to defense officials speaking on condition of anonymity, the F-35s will be based at a Puerto Rican airfield and are expected to arrive by late next week. They will conduct operations targeting organizations designated as narco-terrorist groups by the Trump administration.
F-35s are among the world’s most advanced fighter aircraft, capable of evading radar and engaging in electronic warfare. Their deployment significantly raises the stakes, as Venezuela’s air force primarily relies on decades-old F-16 jets, many of which are in disrepair.
The heightened military presence comes as President Donald Trump seeks to fulfill his campaign pledge to crack down on drug cartels he blames for the flow of narcotics into the United States. His administration has consistently linked Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to drug trafficking, specifically accusing him of directing the Tren de Aragua gang, which Washington labeled a terrorist organization earlier this year. Caracas has repeatedly denied the charges.
Venezuela’s government did not respond to requests for comment on the deployment or the flyover incident. But Maduro, speaking at a rare press conference in Caracas earlier this week, accused Washington of “seeking regime change through military threat.”
The Pentagon confirmed that two Venezuelan F-16s had flown over the USS Jason Dunham on Thursday. The destroyer is part of a larger U.S. naval force in the region, which includes at least seven warships, a fast-attack nuclear submarine, and more than 4,500 Marines and sailors. Amphibious training exercises are also underway in southern Puerto Rico involving the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended Tuesday’s deadly strike on the alleged drug boat, calling it part of a broader campaign to dismantle cartels. “The poisoning of the American people is over,” Hegseth told reporters.
Not all voices in Washington are backing the escalation. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) denounced the administration’s actions, arguing they bypassed Congress’s authority. “Congress has not declared war on Venezuela, or Tren de Aragua, and the mere designation of a group as a terrorist organization does not give any President carte blanche to ignore Congress’s clear Constitutional authority on matters of war and peace,” she said in a statement.
The administration has not provided details on what narcotics were aboard the vessel destroyed Tuesday, nor clarified the legal authority under which the strike was carried out. Trump has insisted the boat’s crew were members of Tren de Aragua but has offered no supporting evidence.
For now, the arrival of F-35s in the Caribbean signals Washington’s intent to escalate its campaign. For Venezuela, already battered by years of sanctions and political isolation, the build-up heightens fears that the U.S. military is moving from counter-narcotics to outright confrontation.
