Key Points
- Deployment follows deadly strike on Venezuelan-linked vessel accused of drug trafficking
- Venezuela condemns US actions as “aggression” and a violation of sovereignty
- Legal experts warn deployment risks fuelling broader regional conflict under international law
ISLAMABAD: The United States has deployed 10 F-35 stealth fighter jets to Puerto Rico amid rising tensions with Venezuela, marking the most significant US military build-up in the Caribbean in recent years, Reuters reported on Sunday.
The Pentagon confirmed the move as part of an expanded counter-narcotics operation, days after a US strike on a Venezuelan-affiliated boat killed 11 people. Washington has accused the vessel of transporting narcotics on behalf of the Tren de Aragua cartel, which US officials have described as a “narco-terrorist” group.
“Serious commitment”
“This is not training. This is an operational mission,” US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told sailors during a visit to Puerto Rico, according to the Associated Press. He added that the deployment reflected a “serious commitment” to regional security and counter trafficking.
Venezuela, however, condemned the US action as “an act of aggression”, rejecting the drug trafficking allegations. Caracas argued that Washington is using counter-narcotics operations as a pretext to expand its military footprint in Latin America. “This deployment violates Venezuela’s sovereignty and destabilises peace in the Caribbean,” the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“Deterrent capability”
The deployment comes against the backdrop of repeated incidents between Venezuelan fighter jets and US naval vessels in international waters. US officials told The Washington Post that F-35 jets will provide a “deterrent capability” while also being available for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
International law experts have raised concerns that the escalation risks breaching the United Nations Charter if the US use of force is not clearly justified under self-defence or authorised by the Security Council. “Targeting a non-state actor linked to drug trafficking does not automatically legitimise cross-border strikes or military escalation,” Dr Julia Thompson, an international law scholar at Georgetown University, told Reuters.
Others warned that the deployment could draw the region into a broader power contest. “Any projection of force in the Caribbean — historically considered the US’ backyard — will inevitably inflame regional politics and could invite external actors like China and Russia to deepen security ties with Venezuela,” Alejandro Suárez, a Latin America security analyst, told The Washington Post.
While Washington insists the deployment is narrowly focused on counter-narcotics enforcement, the move highlights the increasing intersection of criminal networks, regional security, and great-power competition in Latin America.
Drug trafficking
The Tren de Aragua is Venezuela’s largest transnational criminal organisation, originating from prison gangs in the early 2000s, according to a report by InSight Crime, a regional security research group.
Initially centred in the Tocorón prison, the group has since expanded across Latin America, with operations reported in Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Brazil.
The cartel is involved in drug trafficking, extortion, migrant smuggling, and illegal mining, activities that Human Rights Watch has linked to widespread violence against civilians and migrants.
US officials have described the group as a “narco-terrorist organisation”, arguing it poses both a security and humanitarian threat. The US State Department said in July 2025 that the cartel’s alleged ties to Venezuelan state actors and its maritime trafficking routes make it a “direct concern” for American counter-narcotics operations.
