Venezuela - Order of Battle
The strike capabilities of the U.S. Navy and Air Force task forces deployed to Puerto Rico and the Caribbean for counter-drug operations extend far beyond maritime patrols , highlighting the potential for escalation of the conflict both with cartels professing ties to the Venezuelan government and directly with the Venezuelan armed forces. The naval task force consisted of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Jason Dunham , USS Gravely , and USS Sampson , the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie , the littoral combat ship Minneapolis-St. Paul , and the submarine USS Newport News (SSN-750).
The amphibious assault force was represented by the Iwo Jima Amphibious Group (ARG), which includes the amphibious assault ships USS Iwo Jima , USS San Antonio , and USS Fort Lauderdale, carrying 4,500 personnel from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Force . The group's aviation capabilities include AV-8B Harrier II attack aircraft, AH-1Z , UH-1N, and CH-53 helicopters , and MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft . Surveillance and target designation are provided by P-8A Poseidon long-range patrol aircraft , presumably RQ-4B reconnaissance UAVs, and MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance and attack UAVs with GA-ASI electronic warfare systems . The latter are carrying out air strikes using AGM-114 Hellfire and GBU-12 Paveway II missiles against surface vessels involved in drug trafficking. The main base for the air group and ground forces is the former Naval Air Station Roosevelt Roads, where ten F-35B Lightning II fighters of the 3rd Marine Air Wing, equipped with AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, are stationed, and Rafael Hernandez International Airport, where at least six MQ-9 Reaper UAVs are stationed . Special operations forces units, including a probable JSOC presence, are present in Puerto Rico and on ships in the Caribbean.
US posture (SOUTHCOM theater) - As of 10 Oct 2025 | |||
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| Political-military signal | Administration says this is a new kinetic approach vs. cartels; legal and political debate ongoing in DC, which argues against a large ground operation but not against repeat maritime/air strikes. | ||
| Total Force Size |
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Air (staging & effects) | 10× F-35 to Puerto Rico (Ceiba / former Roosevelt Roads +/US Virgin Islands); at least five already on deck. Official line: counter-narcotics; practical effect: air dominance over the southern Caribbean and northern Venezuela littoral. | ||
| Fighter Aircraft |
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| Rotary Wing/Tiltrotor |
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| ISR/Maritime Patrol |
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| Support Aircraft |
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Maritime (presence & interdiction) | Flotilla in the southern Caribbean including at least one Arleigh Burke–class DDG (USS Jason Dunham), which Venezuelan F-16s overflew on Sept 4–5. Broader task grouping reported as “eight warships + a submarine,” ~4,000 Marines & sailors embarked. U.S. Coast Guard and Navy continuing interdiction missions; posture widened alongside the F-35 deployment. | ||
| Naval Forces (Caribbean/Southern Caribbean) | |||
| Surface Combatants |
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| Amphibious Ready Group |
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| Submarine Force |
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| Special Operations |
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Ground Forces - Marine Expeditionary Unit |
Venezuelan posture (FANB snapshot) | ||
| Air | Fighters: Su-30MK2 (core high-end fleet, limited availability) and F-16A/B (older, still used for shows of force). Key hubs include El Libertador (Maracay/Palo Negro) and Barcelona (Luis del Valle García) among others. | ||
| Air-defense | S-300VM (Antey-2500) battalion reported in Guárico (Cap. Manuel Ríos AFB), plus a Chinese-made JYL-1/JY-11B radar network whose readiness appears uneven per recent OSINT. (Exact status is uncertain.) | ||
| Maritime/coastal | Navy & Coast Guard concentrated along the Caribbean littoral with bases at Puerto Cabello, La Guaira, Punto Fijo/Paraguaná, and detachments at Maracaibo and La Orchila (airstrip/outpost). | ||
| Internal deployments | Government says it has activated “284 battlefronts” nationwide (troops, police, militias) and surged forces on the Colombian border—a political-military mobilization aimed at deterrence and internal control. | ||
US target sets (“limited kinetic”) | |||
| Maritime smuggling nodes & assets | Go-fast boats/mother ships in international waters, staging coves on Venezuela’s Paraguaná–Guajira–Isla Margarita arc, and logistics craft linked to Tren de Aragua/Cartel de los Soles narratives. Rationale: deny sea routes with minimal territory intrusion. (Past two strikes fit this pattern.) | ||
| Enablers of maritime movement | Fuel farms, boat yards, clandestine piers along the central/north-western coast used by smuggling networks; offshore rendezvous points monitored by Coast Guard/Navy ISR. Effects could include seizures, precision standoff shots on unmanned boats, or nighttime raids. | ||
| ISR & air-surveillance | Fixed radar sites and mobile EWRs that cue Venezuelan intercepts (JYL-1/JY-11B) and any S-300VM fire units, especially those covering the coastal belt. This would be cyber-EW/jamming first; kinetic only if threatened. | ||
| Coercive signaling targets (high-visibility, low-casualty) | Empty pads/hardstands, mothballed aircraft, or training ranges near El Libertador / Barcelona to message capability without mass casualties—not assessed as imminent, but a known U.S. play in compellence toolkits. (Inferred from posture and public rhetoric.) | ||
Venezuelan counters | |||
| Air policing | close passes by F-16/Su-30 over U.S. ships to create incidents without shooting. Already demonstrated against Jason Dunham. | ||
| SAM activation | radar surging around Caracas/coastal bases to complicate F-35 freedom of action, even if sustained readiness is questionable. | ||
| Mass mobilization | militia optics across the 284 “battlefronts” for domestic legitimacy and deterrence theater. | ||
Flashpoints | |||
| Further “boat” strikes | Recent kinetic use: two boat strikes (reported Sept 2 and Sept 15). The second was acknowledged by the White House and shown in a released video; details remain sparse. At least four lethal strikes have been conducted against alleged drug trafficking boats since September 2, 2025, killing at least 21 people Noteworthy if future strikes claimed targets shift closer to shore or involve shore facilities. | ||
| Ceiba (PR) | flight activity—rate & type of F-35 sorties and tanker footprints. | ||
| Destroyer–fighter interactions | any repeat of close passes near U.S. DDGs. | ||
| S-300VM emitters | commercial RF/spotter reporting that batteries are radiating or repositioning. (Status has been contested.) | ||
Military Facilities | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen (CGAS Borinquen) | U.S. Coast Guard air station | -18.4903, -67.1243 | Located at Rafael Hernández Airport, Aguadilla; primary USCG aviation hub in the northwest of Puerto Rico. |
| Rafael Hernández International Airport (BQN, Aguadilla) | joint civil–military airport | -18.4903, -67.1243 | Hosts CGAS Borinquen and joint civil/military operations. |
| Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU, San Juan / Carolina) | international airport | -18.4370, -66.0012 | Puerto Rico’s primary international gateway (San Juan metro). |
| Port of San Juan (San Juan Bay) | major commercial & passenger port | -18.4655, -66.1099 | Island’s busiest seaport; subject of public dredging and infrastructure projects. |
| Fort Buchanan (Guaynabo / San Juan metro) | U.S. Army garrison | ~18.4129, -66.1198 | Primary Army installation and reserve/National Guard hub in Puerto Rico. |
| Coast Guard Sector San Juan (Sector HQ) | U.S. Coast Guard sector responsible for the Eastern Caribbean — (Sector HQ — San Juan area; | ||
| Coast Guard Station San Juan | USCG SAR / law-enforcement station in Old San Juan — San Juan area; | ||
| Cheddi Jagan International Airport (GEO, Timehri — Guyana) | international airport (Georgetown) | ~6.4930, -58.2540 | (primary international gateway for Guyana). |
| Piarco International Airport (POS, Trinidad & Tobago) | international airport (Port-of-Spain region) | ~10.5907, -61.3357 | Major regional air hub east of Venezuela. |
| Naval Station Guantánamo Bay (NSGB / “Guantánamo”) | U.S. Navy base (Cuba) | 19.9175, -75.1600 | (publicly listed installation). |
| Ponce Port Puerto Rico | |||
| Roosevelt Roads (former Naval Station), Puerto Rico | |||
| Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, St. Croix, US Virgin Islands | |||
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