The Pentagon has released official images of 10 USMC F-35Bs that have been forward-deployed to the former Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico. These jets arrived at the installation on September 13th and have joined a growing mix of forces in the region participating in the Trump administration’s counter-narcotics operations.
The F-35s are part of a larger contingent of US forces, including ships and thousands of personnel from the Iwo Jima Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG)/22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), several Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, MQ-9 Reapers, strategic intelligence gathering and maritime patrol aircraft, and other assets deployed to the region.
There is speculation that US military activities in the Caribbean may evolve beyond maritime drug interdiction operations, with the possibility of direct actions inland on cartels becoming a real possibility. The Trump administration has its eye on Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro and the affiliated Tren de Aragua drug gang.
The F-35 images released by the Pentagon were taken on September 13th, the day of the jets’ arrival in Puerto Rico. Notably, the unit markings have been stripped from the jets, but the captions of the photos state that the aircraft belong to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 225 (VMFA-225).
Some of the pictures show lightning rods positioned around the jets, which has been a feature of F-35 deployments away from home bases for years due to safety issues tied to the aircraft’s fuel system.
The F-35s have already been active on patrols, including those off the coast of Venezuela, according to claims made by open-source flight trackers. Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López claimed that the country’s armed forces had tracked some of the jets flying off the coast in the Maiquetía Flight Information Region (FIR).
While the large US buildup in the Caribbean is ostensibly stated as a means to counter drug trafficking, some officials in the Trump administration are pushing to oust Maduro. The US government first brought drug trafficking and other charges against Maduro in 2020 and is currently offering a $50 million bounty for his capture.
President Donald Trump has declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants, saying the United States is now in a “non-international armed conflict.” This declaration comes after the US military carried out three deadly strikes against alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean, with at least two of those operations carried out on vessels that originated from Venezuela.
Maduro has stated that he is gearing up to call a state of emergency should the US attack. The F-35s could be used to strike cartels directly at their inland bases, providing a valuable lower-risk advantage compared to other assets. However, putting pilots at risk would require a robust combat search and rescue package to be ready to leap into action if something went wrong.
SOUTHCOM has posted a video showing F-35Bs from VMFA-225 in Puerto Rico being loaded with live 500-lb JDAMs and AMRAAMS, indicating a potential escalation of US military activities in the region.