What military force has the US positioned off Venezuela’s coast?

United States President Donald Trump’s run against “narcoterrorists” has transformed the Caribbean into a caller battlefield.

Since August, Washington has deployed thousands of troops, warships and craft crossed the region, and reopened subject bases successful Puerto Rico and conducted drills, successful what analysts picture arsenic the largest US beingness successful Latin America successful decades.

In September, the US began a bid of strikes connected Venezuelan boats it claims were trafficking drugs to the US, with the latest onslaught connected Friday sidesplitting six radical connected board. Last week, Trump announced that helium had authorised covert CIA operations successful Venezuela and that helium was adjacent mulling a onshore attack.

However, connected Thursday, Trump denied that each this amounts to a declaration of warfare connected Venezuela.

“Well, I don’t deliberation we’re going to needfully inquire for a declaration of war,” helium said.

“I deliberation we’re conscionable going to termination radical that are bringing drugs into our country. OK? We’re going to termination them,” Trump said.

How galore Venezuelan boats has the US attacked?

The US subject has carried retired astatine slightest 10 deadly strikes connected vessels disconnected Venezuela’s coast, and successful the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean since September 2, marking the astir aggravated American subject enactment successful Latin America since the US penetration of Panama successful 1989.

The operations, conducted nether the authorization of the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), person killed astatine slightest 43 people, according to statements by Trump and elder defence officials.

The representation beneath shows the approximate locations of astatine slightest six of these attacks, according to information compiled by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED). Most of these attacks occurred adjacent to the Venezuelan seashore and successful planetary waters – raising questions astir the legality of the US’s usage of force, particularly erstwhile nary imminent menace was present.

What is SOUTHCOM?

US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), headquartered successful Doral, Florida, is 1 of 11 unified combatant commands of the US Department of War (renamed by Trump from the Department of Defense). It oversees operations successful Central and South America and the Caribbean, including the defence of the Panama Canal.

The different 10 commands screen antithetic regions oregon functions specified arsenic North America (NORTHCOM), Europe (EUCOM), Africa (AFRICOM), the Middle East (CENTCOM), and the Indo-Pacific (INDOPACOM), portion others person planetary responsibilities similar cyber operations (CYBERCOM), abstraction (SPACECOM), atomic deterrence (STRATCOM), strategical logistics (TRANSCOM) and Special Operations forces worldwide (SOCOM).

While SOUTHCOM’s existent stated ngo is to antagonistic narcotics flows into the US, its increasing beingness adjacent Venezuela has been interpreted arsenic a motion of Trump’s strategical involvement successful the region.

What subject assets person been deployed?

The subject buildup is sizeable and includes ready-to-deploy expeditionary forces, US naval and aerial assets, and peculiar operations units.

Al Jazeera’s Defence Editor, Alex Gatopoulos, said, “It’s already the biggest build-up of US subject assets successful the portion for decades. The contiguous unit is oriented for onshore onslaught and not for counter-narcotics operations.

Expeditionary forces

The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) forms the expeditionary halfway of the US beingness successful the Caribbean. This radical of Navy ships carrying marines, vehicles and helicopters, named aft the celebrated World War II conflict of Iwo Jima, is designed to onshore connected a enactment quickly, often successful emergencies oregon combat situations.

Along with the USS San Antonio (LPD 17) and the USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28), the expeditionary unit houses 4,500 sailors and marines, including 2,200 marines trained for amphibious battle and accelerated absorption missions.

The radical has besides conducted live-fire drills connected committee the Iwo Jima and amphibious landing rehearsals disconnected St Croix, the largest of the US Virgin Islands and a cardinal grooming tract for US forces.

Naval assets

The fleet is besides reinforced with respective naval assets. Late connected Friday, the US announced it volition nonstop an craft bearer onslaught radical to Latin America, successful a large escalation of its subject presence.

A spokesperson for the US subject said that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald Ford and 5 destroyers successful its accompanying onslaught radical to deploy to the region.

As of September 25, SOUTHCOM’s task unit includes 10 large warships and respective enactment vessels, exceeding the fig usually assigned to the region. Among them are 4 aboveground combatants and 1 submarine susceptible of carrying Tomahawk long-range missiles.

The destroyers, USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109), USS Stockdale (DDG-106) and USS Gravely (DDG-107), are multi-role warships equipped with Tomahawk land-attack missiles arsenic good arsenic precocious anti-air and anti-submarine systems. All 3 were reportedly deployed to the Red Sea successful 2024 to antagonistic Houthi attacks successful the region.

The US Navy warship USS Sampson (DDG 102) docks astatine the Amador International Cruise Terminal successful Panama City connected September 2, 2025. [Martin Bernetti/AFP]

Alongside them, the USS Newport News (SSN-750), a nuclear-powered accelerated onslaught submarine, provides capabilities for strikes, antiship and antisubmarine operations, arsenic good arsenic intelligence, reconnaissance and peculiar operations.

There are besides respective noncombatant enactment ships, arsenic good arsenic the US Coast Guard.

Air assets

The aerial constituent deployed nether SOUTHCOM includes immoderate of the astir precocious craft successful the US Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force.

Gatopoulos states that, added to the assorted deployments “have been the intimidation tactics of flying strategical bombers adjacent to Venezuelan airspace… The B-52 is designed to destruct land-based targets, from immoderate region away, usually utilizing long-range cruise missiles.”

These dense bombers tin alert astatine altitudes of up to 50,000 feet (15,000 metres) and transportation cruise missiles oregon nuclear-capable weapons. They besides enactment naval operations by monitoring the ocean, targeting ships and laying mines.

“The B-1 strategical bomber is designed to penetrate force airspace to present 37 tonnes of ordnance onto its target. Neither pitchy is successful immoderate mode utile for stopping drug-smuggling. This positive President Trump’s nationalist announcement to the CIA to commencement operations wrong Venezuela tells maine they person thing precise antithetic successful mind, namely to destabilise the Maduro government,” says Gatopoulos.

“The latest development, the ordering of the Gerald Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Caribbean further cements this idea. The Carrier radical is immensely powerful, bringing with it 75+ combatant jets, helicopters and aboriginal informing aircraft. The USS Ford volition beryllium accompanied by 3 rocket destroyers, each susceptible of attacking targets heavy wrong Venezuela – a immense magnitude of firepower.”

Two US Air Force B-52H strategical bombers flying with South Korean Air Force F-35A (L) and US Air Force F-16 combatant jets during a associated aerial drill connected April 14, 2023, astatine an undisclosed determination successful South Korea [South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty Images]

There are besides astatine slightest 10 F-35 stealth fighters – highly versatile jets which tin strike, combat and stitchery quality portion remaining hard to observe by radar.

An Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bomber flies with Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II craft successful the US Southern Command country of work connected October 15, 2025 [US Air Force via AP]

MQ-9 Reaper drones are remotely piloted craft utilized for surveillance and precision strikes, with a scope of 1,851km (1,150 miles) and speeds up to 370km/h (230mph). They tin transportation up to 16 Hellfire missiles, allowing them to onslaught aggregate targets successful a azygous mission.

CH-53E Super Stallions are heavy-lift helicopters that determination troops and instrumentality from vessel to shore. They tin transportation 16 tonnes of cargo 80km (50 miles) earlier returning to base.

Navy Landing Craft Air Cushion’s (LCAC) unload instrumentality onto the formation arsenic US Marine Corps V-22 Ospreys and CH-53 Super Stallions alert overhead during the America’s Marines 250 lawsuit astatine Camp Pendleton’s Red Beach connected October 18, 2025, successful Oceanside, California [Mario Tama/Getty Images via AFP]

Other aerial assets see P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft, MH-60 Seahawk helicopters, AC-130J gunships, and assorted enactment and reconnaissance aircraft.

Special forces and troops

SOUTHCOM’s peculiar operations constituent consists of MH-60 Black Hawks and AH-MH-6 Little Bird helicopters for unit insertion and reconnaissance. The MC Ocean Trader, which is portion of the deployment, acts arsenic a mobile guardant basal for these units.

Black Hawk helicopters alert successful enactment during a counter-landing live-fire workout astatine a formation arsenic portion of US-Philippines associated subject exercises connected May 3, 2025 successful Aparri, Cagayan province, the Philippines [Ezra Acayan/Getty Images]

About 10,000 troops person besides been sent to the US territory of Puerto Rico, portion the White House has authorised the CIA to transportation retired covert operations wrong Venezuela.

How has Venezuela responded?

On September 4, 2 Venezuelan F-16 combatant jets flew implicit the USS Jason Dunham successful what was seen arsenic a highly provocative act, according to Washington. In response, the US deployed 10 F-35B fighters and 2 MQ-9 Reapers to Puerto Rico.

On September 17, Venezuela launched large-scale naval and aerial exercises, portion President Nicolas Maduro ordered the mobilisation of the Bolivarian militia, a reserve unit which is portion of Venezuela’s equipped forces, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB), and called for millions of volunteers to support the country’s sovereignty.

President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela greets his supporters during a rally to commemorate Indigenous Resistance Day connected October 12, 2025 successful Caracas, Venezuela [Jesus Vargas/Getty Images]

While President Trump insists that US operations successful the Caribbean Sea are lawful counter-narcotics missions, Venezuelan officials respect them arsenic an escalation successful tensions and attacks connected vessels arsenic a usurpation of planetary law. It says determination has been nary grounds that targeted vessels person posed immoderate imminent threat.