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F-35s Touch Down in Puerto Rico as U.S. Expands Caribbean Military Buildout

The administration casts the deployment as a counter-narcotics operation focused on Tren de Aragua.

An F-35 fighter jet taxis on the runway at the former Roosevelt Roads military base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, September 13, 2025. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo
An F-35 fighter jet taxis past a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter on the runway at the former Roosevelt Roads military base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, September 13, 2025. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo
F-35 fighter jets taxi on the runway at the former Roosevelt Roads military base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, September 13, 2025. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo

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.