Flash Info: U.S. Deploys F-35 Fighter Jets in Puerto Rico airfield to prepare military operations against drug cartels
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According to information published by Reuters on September 5, 2025, the United States has ordered the deployment of ten F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets to Muñiz Air National Guard Base, located near San Juan on the island of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory in the northeastern Caribbean. The deployment, unprecedented in this theater, forms part of a widening campaign against drug cartels operating along maritime routes but also intensifies military friction with nearby Venezuela, where a recent U.S. Navy strike on a Venezuelan-flagged vessel in international waters left multiple dead and provoked a strong response from Caracas.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
United States F-16 fighter jets pictured during exercise Caribbean Fox at Muñiz Air National Guard Base in Carolina, Puerto Rico, a location now central to the latest deployment of U.S. F-35 fighter jets for expanded operations in the Caribbean. (Picture source: U.S. DoD)
The decision to base U.S F-35 fighter jets in Puerto Rico reflects a deliberate operational choice. U.S. officials selected the fifth-generation aircraft over legacy fighters such as the F-16 or F/A-18 due to the complexity of the mission, which blends counternarcotics interdiction with regional deterrence against state-backed threats. The F-35’s stealth design ensures survivability against radar-equipped Venezuelan defenses, while its AESA radar, electro-optical sensors, and electronic warfare suite provide detection and tracking of fast-moving cartel vessels that often evade conventional aircraft. Its data-fusion capabilities deliver commanders real-time awareness across the Caribbean battlespace, and its multirole design enables rapid transition from surveillance to precision strike—functions older fighters cannot perform simultaneously.
The selection of Puerto Rico as the staging point for these operations is equally significant. As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico offers the Pentagon a secure platform for projecting power without the political complications of operating from a foreign base. Its location, less than 800 kilometers (500 miles) from Venezuela and approximately 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) southeast of Florida, makes it an ideal forward operating hub to monitor both Caribbean and South American maritime corridors. Muñiz Air National Guard Base, traditionally home to the 156th Wing of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard, has been increasingly used for advanced deployments, including F-22s in past years. Meanwhile, the island’s southern training areas and deep-water ports such as Roosevelt Roads provide staging grounds for amphibious landings and major naval operations.
This aerial escalation is paired with one of the most significant U.S. naval deployments in the Caribbean in decades. In recent weeks, the U.S. Navy has positioned a task force close to Venezuelan waters that includes the guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson, the cruiser USS Lake Erie, the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, amphibious transport docks USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale, the littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul, and the fast-attack submarine USS Newport News. These vessels operate with more than 4,500 Marines and sailors, conducting amphibious landings and joint exercises in southern Puerto Rico.
The United States confirmed that Venezuelan F-16s recently carried out a “highly provocative” overflight near the USS Jason Dunham, an incident that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as reckless. He added that additional strikes against cartel or Venezuelan-linked targets “cannot be ruled out.” With F-35s now stationed at Muñiz, the United States can enforce air dominance across the Caribbean, countering Venezuela’s fleet of Russian-built fighters and its network of advanced air defenses.
In Venezuela, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ordered his armed forces to maintain “maximum preparedness,” declaring the U.S. buildup a threat to Venezuela’s sovereignty. American analysts, however, view the deployment as part of a dual strategy: crippling cartel logistics while applying military pressure on Maduro’s regime. “The arrival of F-35s in Puerto Rico changes the Caribbean equation entirely,” explained Dr. Evan Ellis, Latin America security expert at the U.S. Army War College. “It signals that the U.S. is prepared to escalate in both technology and force projection to shape the regional security environment.”
The F-35 fighter jets deployment has triggered political debate in the United States, where critics argue that designating cartels as terrorist groups does not give constitutional authority to expand operations without congressional approval. Legal scholars also warn that the September 2 strike on a Venezuelan-linked vessel raises serious questions under international law, given that it took place in international waters without public evidence to support the U.S. justification.
From an operational perspective, the presence of U.S. F-35s alongside a powerful naval task force marks a strategic shift. The Caribbean is no longer treated as a low-intensity policing zone but as a contested battlespace where Washington integrates stealth air power, amphibious forces, and naval dominance directly on Venezuela’s doorstep. The mission extends beyond counternarcotics: it is a demonstration of overwhelming U.S. control of the southern Caribbean and a clear warning to adversaries who may seek to challenge it.
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According to information published by Reuters on September 5, 2025, the United States has ordered the deployment of ten F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets to Muñiz Air National Guard Base, located near San Juan on the island of Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory in the northeastern Caribbean. The deployment, unprecedented in this theater, forms part of a widening campaign against drug cartels operating along maritime routes but also intensifies military friction with nearby Venezuela, where a recent U.S. Navy strike on a Venezuelan-flagged vessel in international waters left multiple dead and provoked a strong response from Caracas.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
United States F-16 fighter jets pictured during exercise Caribbean Fox at Muñiz Air National Guard Base in Carolina, Puerto Rico, a location now central to the latest deployment of U.S. F-35 fighter jets for expanded operations in the Caribbean. (Picture source: U.S. DoD)
The decision to base U.S F-35 fighter jets in Puerto Rico reflects a deliberate operational choice. U.S. officials selected the fifth-generation aircraft over legacy fighters such as the F-16 or F/A-18 due to the complexity of the mission, which blends counternarcotics interdiction with regional deterrence against state-backed threats. The F-35’s stealth design ensures survivability against radar-equipped Venezuelan defenses, while its AESA radar, electro-optical sensors, and electronic warfare suite provide detection and tracking of fast-moving cartel vessels that often evade conventional aircraft. Its data-fusion capabilities deliver commanders real-time awareness across the Caribbean battlespace, and its multirole design enables rapid transition from surveillance to precision strike—functions older fighters cannot perform simultaneously.
The selection of Puerto Rico as the staging point for these operations is equally significant. As a U.S. territory, Puerto Rico offers the Pentagon a secure platform for projecting power without the political complications of operating from a foreign base. Its location, less than 800 kilometers (500 miles) from Venezuela and approximately 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) southeast of Florida, makes it an ideal forward operating hub to monitor both Caribbean and South American maritime corridors. Muñiz Air National Guard Base, traditionally home to the 156th Wing of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard, has been increasingly used for advanced deployments, including F-22s in past years. Meanwhile, the island’s southern training areas and deep-water ports such as Roosevelt Roads provide staging grounds for amphibious landings and major naval operations.
This aerial escalation is paired with one of the most significant U.S. naval deployments in the Caribbean in decades. In recent weeks, the U.S. Navy has positioned a task force close to Venezuelan waters that includes the guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson, the cruiser USS Lake Erie, the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, amphibious transport docks USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale, the littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul, and the fast-attack submarine USS Newport News. These vessels operate with more than 4,500 Marines and sailors, conducting amphibious landings and joint exercises in southern Puerto Rico.
The United States confirmed that Venezuelan F-16s recently carried out a “highly provocative” overflight near the USS Jason Dunham, an incident that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as reckless. He added that additional strikes against cartel or Venezuelan-linked targets “cannot be ruled out.” With F-35s now stationed at Muñiz, the United States can enforce air dominance across the Caribbean, countering Venezuela’s fleet of Russian-built fighters and its network of advanced air defenses.
In Venezuela, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro ordered his armed forces to maintain “maximum preparedness,” declaring the U.S. buildup a threat to Venezuela’s sovereignty. American analysts, however, view the deployment as part of a dual strategy: crippling cartel logistics while applying military pressure on Maduro’s regime. “The arrival of F-35s in Puerto Rico changes the Caribbean equation entirely,” explained Dr. Evan Ellis, Latin America security expert at the U.S. Army War College. “It signals that the U.S. is prepared to escalate in both technology and force projection to shape the regional security environment.”
The F-35 fighter jets deployment has triggered political debate in the United States, where critics argue that designating cartels as terrorist groups does not give constitutional authority to expand operations without congressional approval. Legal scholars also warn that the September 2 strike on a Venezuelan-linked vessel raises serious questions under international law, given that it took place in international waters without public evidence to support the U.S. justification.
From an operational perspective, the presence of U.S. F-35s alongside a powerful naval task force marks a strategic shift. The Caribbean is no longer treated as a low-intensity policing zone but as a contested battlespace where Washington integrates stealth air power, amphibious forces, and naval dominance directly on Venezuela’s doorstep. The mission extends beyond counternarcotics: it is a demonstration of overwhelming U.S. control of the southern Caribbean and a clear warning to adversaries who may seek to challenge it.
