Overview
- Five F-35 jets were photographed landing at the former Roosevelt Roads base in Ceiba on Saturday, with open-source trackers indicating additional aircraft from the 10-jet order are expected.
- MQ-9 Reaper drones were documented at Rafael Hernández Airport in Aguadilla this week, including a Reaper previously photographed armed with Hellfire missiles.
- A Pentagon duty press officer said there were no force posture changes to announce, and officials have not detailed unit ownership or specific mission profiles for the aircraft.
- U.S. officials link the buildup to anti-drug operations following a Sept. 2 strike on a Venezuelan-origin vessel that killed 11 people, a claim Venezuela disputes.
- Caracas says a U.S. destroyer boarded a Venezuelan tuna boat for eight hours in its Special Economic Zone on Friday, an allegation U.S. officials have not addressed.