Overview
- Satellite imagery and on‑site reporting confirm work began September 17 at Roosevelt Roads, with communications gear and a mobile air‑traffic‑control tower installed by mid‑October.
- Upgrades at Puerto Rico’s Rafael Hernández Airport and St. Croix’s Henry E. Rohlsen Airport include tents, radar and apron improvements to expand parking and refueling, with imagery indicating a possible munitions depot.
- Since August, the United States has deployed at least 13 warships, five support vessels and a nuclear submarine to the region, with the Gerald R. Ford carrier group moving in.
- U.S. forces have conducted at least 14 strikes on suspected drug‑trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific since early September, with reported deaths in the dozens.
- Reuters cites U.S. military and maritime sources who say the preparations could enable operations inside Venezuela, while the Pentagon and Puerto Rico’s government have not provided detailed comment and the U.S. Virgin Islands reports limited visibility into planning.