Is the U.S. preparing an invasion of Venezuela? Largest troop deployment since 2003

This underscores the fact that the U.S. has significantly increased its military presence around Venezuela in recent months as part of Operation "Southern Spear," officially presented as a broad campaign against drug trafficking.

The first ships arrived in the Caribbean Sea on August 19, 2025, and the deployment has been steadily expanding since then.

The U.S. has involved more than 10 warships in the operation, representing between 10 and 20 percent of the active U.S. Navy fleet.

Mcs Alyssa Joy/U.S. Navy / Zuma Press / Profimedia

The most striking element of the deployment is the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, the largest in the U.S. fleet, which entered the operational area on November 16 with more than 75 aircraft and over 5,000 crew members. It is accompanied by three destroyers equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Additional naval power comes from three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, one cruiser, a littoral combat ship, and amphibious assault ships from the Iwo Jima Ready Group, carrying about 2,500 Marines and another 1,000 Navy personnel.

Support in the sky

EPA-EFE/ROBERT GHEMENT

In September, F-35 Lightning II jets were deployed to Puerto Rico, while new waves of aircraft are scheduled to arrive in December at several regional airports.

U.S. strategic bombers, including B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer, conducted coastal patrols during October and November. On December 10, the closest-ever flight of U.S. fighter jets to Venezuela was recorded — two F/A-18 Super Hornets carried out a 30-minute exercise over the Venezuelan Gulf.

The operational picture is further supported by MQ-9 Reaper drones, P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, RC-135 reconnaissance planes, and AC-130 gunships. These platforms have been operating from Puerto Rico and El Salvador since October.

A nuclear attack submarine has been in the region since September, and the operation also includes a special support ship for special forces, known as "The Ghost."

So far, 10 strikes against ships have already been carried out

Since September 1, 2025, around 10 strikes have been carried out against alleged drug-smuggling ships, resulting in 87 deaths.

The most recent operation occurred on December 10, when the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy, with support from federal agencies, seized the Venezuelan tanker Skipper.

So far, U.S. authorities have ruled out offensive action, but the pace of field operations continues to fuel speculation about a possible expansion of the mission, making the Caribbean region increasingly tense, in a way not seen in the past 20 years.