2025 US Caribbean naval deployment: Difference between revisions

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In late August 2025, the United States began a naval buildup in the southern [[Caribbean]] with the stated goal to combat [[drug trafficking]].{{r|”FT”|”Economist”}} U.S. president [[Donald Trump]] directed the [[United States Armed Forces]] to begin using military force against certain Latin American [[drug cartel]]s, characterizing the smugglers as [[narcoterrorist]]s.<ref>{{cite web |date=17 September 2025 |title=Trump Invokes Post-9/11 Playbook in Attacks on Drug Cartels |url=https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trump-invokes-post-9-11-playbook-in-attacks-on-drug-cartels-137515ea |website=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=17 September 2025 |archive-date=17 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250917222551/https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/trump-invokes-post-9-11-playbook-in-attacks-on-drug-cartels-137515ea |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1=Jennifer |last1=Jacobs |first2=Melissa |last2=Quinn |title=Trump tells military to target Latin American drug cartels, source says |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-tells-military-to-target-latin-american-drug-cartels-source-says/ |website=CBS News |date=8 August 2025 |publisher=CBS News |access-date=8 August 2025 |archive-date=9 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250809050435/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-tells-military-to-target-latin-american-drug-cartels-source-says/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The first operation of the campaign was the 2 September [[2025 United States strike on Venezuelan boat|strike and sinking of a vessel]]—coming from [[Venezuela]] and allegedly involving [[Tren de Aragua]] gang members carrying illegal drugs—killing 11 people.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Phil |last1=Stewart |first2=Idrees |last2=Ali |first3=Steve |last3=Holland |title=US military kills 11 people in strike on alleged drug boat from Venezuela, Trump says |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-military-kills-11-people-strike-alleged-drug-boat-venezuela-trump-says-2025-09-03/ |date=3 September 2025 |publisher=Reuters |access-date=3 September 2025 }}</ref><ref name=”BBC_11killed_USstrike”>{{cite news |last1=Debusmann |first1=Bern |title=Trump says 11 killed in US strike on drug-carrying vessel from Venezuela |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpwywjgynyxo |access-date=3 September 2025 |agency=[[BBC]] |date=3 September 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/2025.09.04-061418/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpwywjgynyxo|archive-date=4 September 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>

Experts speculated that intimidation of the [[Nicolás Maduro]] regime was likely a goal of the operation,{{r|”Economist”|”Reuters8-29″|”BBC9-4″}} that invasion of Venezuela was unlikely, and questioned the legality of the strikes on vessels.

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== Background ==

The militarization of the war on drugs—also known as the war on cartels in contemporary contexts involving [[military interventionism]] and [[counterterrorism]]—dates to 1989, more specifically to the [[Presidency of George H.W. Bush|presidency of George H.W. Bush]]. On 5 September 1989, president [[George H.W. Bush]] introduced a national drug control strategy, a US$7.9 billion federal plan that emphasized supply interdiction and allocated significant resources to involve the [[Department of Defense]]. This included the creation of the [[Office of National Drug Control Policy]] and the first national drug control strategy, which formalized the use of military forces in detection operations, foreign force training, and support for law enforcement agencies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/ondcp/140556.pdf|title=National Drug Control Strategy: Progress in the War on Drugs 1989-1992|date=1993|website= U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs}}</ref> On 18 September 1989, then-[[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] [[Dick Cheney]] announced specific plans: a [[Caribbean]] counternarcotics task force with military aircraft and ships, deployment of forces along the Mexican border, expanded use of the [[North American Aerospace Defense Command]] to detect drug trafficking, and training of forces in South American countries such as Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. Cheney emphasized that the military would not conduct arrests or raids but would expand its role in detection and logistical support, involving “a few hundred” troops in [[Latin America]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-18-mn-272-story.html|title=Cheney Outlines Role of Military in Drug War: No Arrests, No Raids|date=~~September~~ 18, 1989|website= Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1989/09/19/cheney-pledges-wider-war-on-drugs/5f2d10cb-219e-4840-9bb9-4f0bd003336b/|title=Cheney pledges wider War on Drugs|date=~~September~~ 19, 1989|last1=Wilson|first1=George|website=The Washington Post}}</ref>

The militarization of the war on drugs—also known as the war on cartels in contemporary contexts involving [[military interventionism]] and [[counterterrorism]]—dates to 1989, more specifically to the [[Presidency of George H.W. Bush|presidency of George H.W. Bush]]. On 5 September 1989, president [[George H.W. Bush]] introduced a national drug control strategy, a US$7.9 billion federal plan that emphasized supply interdiction and allocated significant resources to involve the [[Department of Defense]]. This included the creation of the [[Office of National Drug Control Policy]] and the first national drug control strategy, which formalized the use of military forces in detection operations, foreign force training, and support for law enforcement agencies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/ondcp/140556.pdf|title=National Drug Control Strategy: Progress in the War on Drugs 1989-1992|date=1993|website= U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs}}</ref> On 18 September 1989, then-[[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] [[Dick Cheney]] announced specific plans: a [[Caribbean]] counternarcotics task force with military aircraft and ships, deployment of forces along the Mexican border, expanded use of the [[North American Aerospace Defense Command]] to detect drug trafficking, and training of forces in South American countries such as Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. Cheney emphasized that the military would not conduct arrests or raids but would expand its role in detection and logistical support, involving “a few hundred” troops in [[Latin America]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-09-18-mn-272-story.html|title=Cheney Outlines Role of Military in Drug War: No Arrests, No Raids|date=18 1989|website= Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1989/09/19/cheney-pledges-wider-war-on-drugs/5f2d10cb-219e-4840-9bb9-4f0bd003336b/|title=Cheney pledges wider War on Drugs|date=19 1989|last1=Wilson|first1=George|website=The Washington Post}}</ref>

In 1989, president Bush ordered the invasion of Panama to depose the country’s ”de facto” dictator, [[Manuel Noriega]]. The invasion was condemned by the [[United Nations General Assembly]] as a “flagrant violation of international law”. The United States later provided intelligence about flights with civilians suspected of carrying drugs to Colombian and Peruvian officials; after several planes were shot down, the [[Presidency of Bill Clinton|Clinton administration]] ceased its assistance in providing information. The [[United States Navy]] has intercepted ships believed to be used for drug smuggling operations. The [[United States Armed Forces]] broadly engage in joint anti-drug training exercises with other countries, including Colombia and Mexico.<ref name=CooperHaberman/>

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In a display of its military strength, Venezuela initiated large-scale military exercises in the Caribbean on 17 September. The maneuvers, involving naval and air forces, are intended to bolster the nation’s defense capabilities and demonstrate its readiness to protect its sovereign waters.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/article/with-eye-on-us-threat-venezuela-holds-caribbean-military-exercises/|title=With eye on U.S. threat, Venezuela holds Caribbean military exercises |work=CTV|accessdate=17 September 2025}}</ref>

On 19 September, the Dominican Navy briefly cooperated with the deployment after Trump announced a fourth vessel, allegedly carrying drugs had been destroyed and that three people had been killed.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nicolas |first=Maduro |date=20 September 2025 |title=Trump says US hit another ‘drug vessel’, Venezuela slams ‘undeclared war’ |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2025/9/20/trump-says-us-struck-another-alleged-drug-smuggling-vessel-killing-three |url-status=live |access-date=23 September 2025 |work=[[Al Jazeera English]]}}</ref> The [[Dominican Republic]] later stated that, under its National Directorate for Drug Control and the [[Dominican Navy]], it had cooperated with the U.S. Navy to locate the boat, which was about 80 nautical miles South of Dominican controlled [[Beata Island]]. After the boat was destroyed the Dominican Navy salvaged 377 packages of [[cocaine]] amounting to {{convert|1,000|kg}}. The Directorate stated that “This is the first time in history that the United States and the Dominican Republic carry out a joint operation against narco terrorism in the Caribbean.”<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rubio |first=Manuel |date=22 September 2025 |title=Dominican Republic says it seized cocaine that was on speedboat destroyed by U.S. Navy |url=https://apnews.com/article/cocaine-speedboat-trump-dominican-republic-e42c255ec0e8d5c2d85a7670d12adfdf |url-status=live |access-date=22 September 2025 |work=[[The Associated Press]]}}</ref>

On 19 September, the Dominican Navy briefly cooperated with the deployment after Trump announced a fourth vessel, allegedly carrying drugs had been destroyed and that three people had been killed.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Nicolas |first=Maduro |date=20 September 2025 |title=Trump says US hit another ‘drug vessel’, Venezuela slams ‘undeclared war’ |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2025/9/20/trump-says-us-struck-another-alleged-drug-smuggling-vessel-killing-three |url-status=live |access-date=23 September 2025 |work=[[Al Jazeera English]]}}</ref> The [[Dominican Republic]] later stated that, under its National Directorate for Drug Control and the Dominican Navy, it had cooperated with the U.S. Navy to locate the boat, which was about 80 nautical miles South of Dominican controlled [[Beata Island]]. After the boat was destroyed the Dominican Navy salvaged 377 packages of [[cocaine]] amounting to {{convert|1,000|kg}}. The Directorate stated that “This is the first time in history that the United States and the Dominican Republic carry out a joint operation against narco terrorism in the Caribbean.”<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rubio |first=Manuel |date=22 September 2025 |title=Dominican Republic says it seized cocaine that was on speedboat destroyed by U.S. Navy |url=https://apnews.com/article/cocaine-speedboat-trump-dominican-republic-e42c255ec0e8d5c2d85a7670d12adfdf |url-status=live |access-date=22 September 2025 |work=[[The Associated Press]]}}</ref>

==Forces==

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*** [[File:USS Newport News SSN-750 Crest.png|22px]] [[USS Newport News (SSN-750)|USS ”Newport News”]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/venezuela-deploys-warships-us-sends-destroyers-region/&ved=2ahUKEwiH1PCxusqPAxW3X2wGHQqhEA84ChAWegQIHxAB&usg=AOvVaw0OMP76k3OiFUCApGiRgZWf|title=Venezuela deploys warships, drones after U.S. sends guided-missile destroyers to region|publisher=CBS News|date=27 August 2025|access-date=9 September 2025}}</ref> ({{sclass|Los Angeles|submarine}})

*** [[File:MSC Seal.png|22px]] [[Military Sealift Command]]

**** [[MV Ocean Trader]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nieberg |first=Jeff Schogol, Patty |date=~~2025-09-~~25 |title=The elusive ship built to carry US special operators is in the Caribbean |url=https://taskandpurpose.com/news/mv-ocean-trader-caribbean/ |access-date=~~2025-09-~~27 |website=Task & Purpose |language=en-US}}</ref> ([[Special Warfare]] [[Auxiliary ship|Support vessel]])

**** [[MV Ocean Trader]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nieberg |first=Jeff Schogol, Patty |date=25 |title=The elusive ship built to carry US special operators is in the Caribbean |url=https://taskandpurpose.com/news/mv-ocean-trader-caribbean/ |access-date=27 |website=Task & Purpose |language=en-US}}</ref> ([[Special Warfare]] [[Auxiliary ship|Support vessel]])

*** [[Commander, Naval Air Forces|United States Naval Air Forces]]

**** [[McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet]]s

US operation in the Caribbean

In late August 2025, the United States began a naval buildup in the southern Caribbean with the stated goal to combat drug trafficking.^[2]^[3] U.S. president Donald Trump directed the United States Armed Forces to begin using military force against certain Latin American drug cartels, characterizing the smugglers as narcoterrorists.^[4]^[5]

The first operation of the campaign was the 2 September strike and sinking of a vessel—coming from Venezuela and allegedly involving Tren de Aragua gang members carrying illegal drugs—killing 11 people.^[6]^[7] The U.S. deployed military assets to Puerto Rico, subsequent airstrikes destroyed other alleged drug-smuggling vessels, and the Dominican Navy engaged to recover drugs from one of the destroyed vessels.

Experts speculated that intimidation of the Nicolás Maduro regime was likely a goal of the operation,^[3]^[8]^[9] that invasion of Venezuela was unlikely, and questioned the legality of the strikes on vessels.

Background

The militarization of the war on drugs—also known as the war on cartels in contemporary contexts involving military interventionism and counterterrorism—dates to 1989, more specifically to the presidency of George H.W. Bush. On 5 September 1989, president George H.W. Bush introduced a national drug control strategy, a US$7.9 billion federal plan that emphasized supply interdiction and allocated significant resources to involve the Department of Defense. This included the creation of the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the first national drug control strategy, which formalized the use of military forces in detection operations, foreign force training, and support for law enforcement agencies.^[10] On 18 September 1989, then-Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney announced specific plans: a Caribbean counternarcotics task force with military aircraft and ships, deployment of forces along the Mexican border, expanded use of the North American Aerospace Defense Command to detect drug trafficking, and training of forces in South American countries such as Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia. Cheney emphasized that the military would not conduct arrests or raids but would expand its role in detection and logistical support, involving “a few hundred” troops in Latin America.^[11]^[12]

In 1989, president Bush ordered the invasion of Panama to depose the country’s de facto dictator, Manuel Noriega. The invasion was condemned by the United Nations General Assembly as a “flagrant violation of international law”. The United States later provided intelligence about flights with civilians suspected of carrying drugs to Colombian and Peruvian officials; after several planes were shot down, the Clinton administration ceased its assistance in providing information. The United States Navy has intercepted ships believed to be used for drug smuggling operations. The United States Armed Forces broadly engage in joint anti-drug training exercises with other countries, including Colombia and Mexico.^[13]

In January 2025, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order that directed the US State Department to label certain Western Hemisphere drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.^[13]^[14] In February, the Trump administration designated Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization from Venezuela; MS-13; and six Mexico-based groups as foreign terrorist organizations,^[15] saying at the time they posed “a national-security threat beyond that posed by traditional organized crime.”^[13] In July, the US designated the Cartel de los Soles, a purported criminal organization that the US alleges has ties to Venezuelan leadership, as a terrorist organization.^[16]^[3] At the time, the US State Department‘s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs posted on X that it would use “all the resources at our disposal to prevent Maduro from continuing to profit from destroying American lives and destabilizing our hemisphere.”^[16]

Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum publicly opposed the prospect of U.S. drone strikes on cartels in April 2025.^[17] In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump, speaking to Sheinbaum the previous month, proposed sending in U.S. soldiers to assist in the country’s drug war, a suggestion she rejected.^[18]

Donald Trump’s decision to designate drug cartels as “terrorist” organizations—including the Sinaloa Cartel, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Cártel del Noreste, Tren de Aragua, MS-13, the Gulf Cartel, and La Nueva Familia Michoacana Organization^[19]—established the foundation for U.S. intervention.^[20] In August, Trump secretly signed an executive order directing the armed forces to invoke military action against cartels that had been declared as terrorist organizations.^[13]

The Trump administration has accused President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro of trafficking drugs into the US. Earlier in August, the Trump administration raised to $50 million a bounty for the arrest of Maduro over what it alleges to be his role in drug trafficking. Maduro was indicted in the US on drug charges including narcoterrorism in 2020.^[15]

Preliminary actions

On 8 August, Trump signed an order to allow the use of military force against Latin American drug cartels it considers terrorist organizations.^[13]^[3] Trump authorised the Pentagon to use military force against Latin American drug cartels and doubled the reward for the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro to $50 million.^[21] At the time, an anonymous US official told Reuters that military action against those groups did not seem imminent; another official told Reuters that powers granted in the order included allowing the Navy to carry out sea operations including drug interdiction and targeted military raids.^[22]

On 20 August, Trump ordered three Navy warships to the coast of South America.^[23]^[24] As of 29 August, seven U.S. warships, along with one nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, were in and around the Southern Caribbean, bringing along more than 4,500 sailors and marines.^[25]

The Central Intelligence Agency joined the military campaign after confirming that it would play a significant role in combating drug cartels, just as it is considering using lethal force against these criminal organizations.^[26]

In August 2025, over thirty organizations urged the United States Congress to oppose the war on cartels.^[27] According to The New York Times, “specialists in the laws of war and executive power” stated that Trump lacks the legal authority and precedent to kill suspected drug smugglers.^[28]

Venezuela said it would mobilize more than four million soldiers in the Bolivarian Militia of Venezuela; the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated the militia had 343,000 members as of 2020.^[29] Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro said he “would constitutionally declare a republic in arms” if the country is attacked by forces that the United States government has deployed to the Caribbean and stated “Venezuela is confronting the biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years”.^[30]^[31]

PBS News reported that Trump was using the military to counter cartels he blamed for trafficking fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the U.S. and for fuelling violence in American cities, stating that the government had “not signaled any planned land incursion”^[32]—similarly, The Guardian stated that “many experts are skeptical the US is planning a military intervention” in Venezuela.^[33]

Deployment

According to The Economist, the US typically has “two or three American warships and Coast Guard cutters” on patrol in the southern Caribbean.^[3] As of 22 September, the deployment includes nine ships: the guided-missile destroyers USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson; the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima and the amphibious transport docks USS San Antonio and USS Fort Lauderdale; the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie; the littoral combat ship USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul;^[34] the nuclear fast attack submarine USS Newport News,^[2] and the missile destroyer USS Stockdale (DDG-106).^[35] According to the Financial Times, “Five of the eight vessels are equipped with Tomahawk missiles, which can hit land targets.”^[2] The Iwo Jima, Fort Lauderdale, and San Antonio left Norfolk, Virginia on 14 August,^[36] carrying 4,500 marines and sailors, including the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.^[3]^[37] According to the US Naval Institute this marked “the first time a U.S.-based Amphibious Ready Group with embarked Marines has deployed since December.”^[36] Historian Alan McPherson stated that the naval buildup is the largest in the region since 1965.^[9]

Footage of the United States strike on a Venezuelan boat, September 2025

On 2 September, Trump said that the US had struck a boat carrying unspecified illegal drugs, alleging it was operated by the Tren de Aragua. Trump said that the strike killed 11 “narcoterrorists”.^[7] He hinted at further military action, stating: “There’s more where that came from.”^[38]^[39] According to The Wall Street Journal, “The attack was the U.S. military’s first publicly acknowledged airstrike in Central or South America since the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989.”^[40]

The strike was welcomed by Republican senators Lindsey Graham and Bernie Moreno, with Moreno saying that “Sinking [the] boat saved American lives.”^[41] The following day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that military actions against cartels in Venezuela would continue.^[42] Secretary of state Marco Rubio, speaking in Mexico City, said that further strikes would occur, adding that the U.S. was aware of the identities of those on the destroyed boat, but did not provide evidence to authenticate their identity as Tren de Aragua members.^[43]

In response to the presence of Navy warships in Latin America, two Venezuelan BMA F-16 fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham on 4 September.^[44] The U.S. Department of Defense called it “highly provocative” and deployed ten F-35 fighter jets and two MQ-9 Reaper drones to Puerto Rico.^[45]^[46]^[47] That same day Rubio met with Ecuadorian president Daniel Naboa in Quito; Rubio stated that Trump intended to “wage war” on those that have “been waging war on us for 30 years” and designated the gangs Los Lobos and Los Choneros as narco terrorists, in agreement with Naboa.^[48]^[49]

During a surprise trip on 8 September to Puerto Rico with U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, Hegseth told sailors and Marines assigned to the area: “What you’re doing right now – it’s not training … This is the real-world exercise on behalf of the vital national interests of the United States of America to end the poisoning of the American people.”^[50]

The Venezuelan government stated on 12 September that a U.S. destroyer had detained and boarded a tuna fishing boat with nine crew members. The destroyer eventually released the boat, and it was escorted away by the Venezuelan navy. Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Yván Gil responded that this act was illegal and added that Venezuela would defend itself.^[51]

Trump announced on 15 September that another Venezuelan boat had been struck that morning, killing three people who were, according to him, “confirmed narco-terrorists”. No evidence that the vessel was carrying drugs was provided.^[52]^[53]

On 16 September, Trump revealed that the U.S. military had sunk a third alleged Venezuelan drug-running boat.^[54]

On 19 September, the Dominican Navy briefly cooperated with the deployment after Trump announced a fourth vessel, allegedly carrying drugs had been destroyed and that three people had been killed.^[56] The Dominican Republic later stated that, under its National Directorate for Drug Control and the Dominican Navy, it had cooperated with the U.S. Navy to locate the boat, which was about 80 nautical miles South of Dominican controlled Beata Island. After the boat was destroyed the Dominican Navy salvaged 377 packages of cocaine amounting to 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb). The Directorate stated that “This is the first time in history that the United States and the Dominican Republic carry out a joint operation against narco terrorism in the Caribbean.”^[57]

Forces

United States

Venezuela

Response

On 18 August, Maduro said the US “has gone mad and has renewed its threats to Venezuela’s peace and tranquility”.^[15] He “announced the planned deployment of more than 4.5 million militia members” around Venezuela, per The Associated Press,^[15] and started militia enrollment on 23 August. The Economist was sceptical of the announcement, stating, “Election receipts show he received fewer than 3.8m votes last year; it is improbable that more people would fight to defend him than would vote for him.”^[3] On 25 August, Maduro “said 15,000 ‘well armed and trained’ men had been deployed to states near the Colombian border,” per The Economist.^[3] On 26 August, Venezuela’s defense minister announced a naval deployment around Venezuela’s main oil hub.^[2] Following the 2 September strike, Maduro said that the US was “coming for Venezuela’s riches”.^[68] On 4 September, two Venezuelan F-16s flew near a US warship.^[40]

Gustavo Petro, President of Colombia, initially suggested that any attack on Venezuela would equal an attack on Latin America and the Caribbean, and thus Colombia’s armed forces could support Venezuela; he later moderated his position.^[2] On 23 September, he addressed the UN General Assembly to call for a “criminal process” to be opened against Donald Trump for U.S. strikes in the Caribbean.^[69]

Colombia convened an extraordinary virtual meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in September 2025, which concluded with an expression of “deep concern” over foreign intervention in the region.^[70]^[71] Over Guatemala’s objection that procedures were not followed, the group issued a statement saying the region must remain a “Zone of Peace” based on “… the prohibition of the threat or use of force, the peaceful settlement of disputes, the promotion of dialogue and multilateralism, unrestricted respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-interference in the internal affairs of States, and the inalienable right of peoples to self-determination.”^[70] Guatemala’s president Bernardo Arévalo said Guatimala was included in the list of 21 countries (of the 33 members) approving the text, although it did not sign, nor did Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, and El Salvador.^[72]

Analysis

According to The Economist, “Few … think drugs are the sole or even the main focus” of the operation, noting that fentanyl, the drug that causes the most deaths in the US, is almost entirely “synthesised in Mexico and trafficked north over land” and that “the hardware”—e.g destroyers—”doesn’t match the task” of drug policing. According to The Economist, “All this makes the most sense if the principal intent is to rattle Mr Maduro, give succour to Venezuela’s opposition or even stir an uprising within the Venezuelan armed forces—encouraged perhaps by that recently doubled reward.”^[3] Experts speaking to Reuters and the BBC described the deployment as gunboat diplomacy to pressure the Maduro administration.^[8]^[9]

Experts speaking to the BBC said that the 2 September strike was potentially illegal under international maritime and human rights law. Though the US is not a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, previous US policy had been to “act in a manner consistent with its provisions”; countries are not supposed to interfere with ships in international waters except in cases such as hot pursuit out of a country’s territorial waters.^[41]^[73] Law professor Mary Ellen O’Connell said that the strike “violated fundamental principles of international law”. Luke Moffett of Queen’s University Belfast, also a law professor, stated that striking the ship without grounds of self-defense could be extrajudicial killing. BBC News argued that “Questions also remain as to whether Trump complied with the War Powers Resolution, which demands that the president ‘in every possible instance shall consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities'”.^[41]

Regarding the 2 September strike, Geoffrey Corn, former senior adviser on the law of war to the US Army, said “I don’t think there is any way to legitimately characterize a drug ship heading from Venezuela, arguably to Trinidad, as an actual or imminent armed attack against the United States, justifying this military response.”^[40]

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar praised the deployment and the 2 September strike, saying “the U.S. military should kill [all drug traffickers] violently.” Foreign Minister of Barbados Kerrie Symmonds said that foreign ministers in CARICOM wrote to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking that military operations in the Caribbean not be conducted without prior notice or explanation.^[74] The deployment was endorsed by the government of Guyana, two-thirds of its territory being claimed by Venezuela, with Guyana’s vice president and former president Bharrat Jagdeo telling The Financial Times “You cannot trust Maduro.”^[2] According to Havana Times, the deployment “reignited tensions and divided positions in the region”, with “the Cuba–Venezuela–Nicaragua axis” calling it an “imperialist offensive”, and other countries “harden[ing] their stance against Maduro and the Cartel of the Soles.”^[75]

References

^ Mordowanec, Nick; Feng, John (29 August 2025). “Map Shows Where Trump Has Sent U.S. Forces to Venezuela’s Doorstep”. Newsweek. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Chávez, Steve; Stott, Michael (28 August 2025). “US naval build-up near Venezuela stokes tensions in Latin America”. Financial Times. Archived from the original on 29 August 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ “A surprise US Navy surge in the Caribbean”. The Economist. 26 August 2025. Archived from the original on 27 August 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
^ “Trump Invokes Post-9/11 Playbook in Attacks on Drug Cartels”. The Wall Street Journal. 17 September 2025. Archived from the original on 17 September 2025. Retrieved 17 September 2025.
^ Jacobs, Jennifer; Quinn, Melissa (8 August 2025). “Trump tells military to target Latin American drug cartels, source says”. CBS News. CBS News. Archived from the original on 9 August 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
^ Stewart, Phil; Ali, Idrees; Holland, Steve (3 September 2025). “US military kills 11 people in strike on alleged drug boat from Venezuela, Trump says”. Reuters. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
^ ^a ^b Debusmann, Bern (3 September 2025). “Trump says 11 killed in US strike on drug-carrying vessel from Venezuela”. BBC. Archived from the original on 4 September 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
^ ^a ^b Ali, Idrees; Zengerle, Patricia; Shalal, Andrea (1 September 2025). “US builds up forces in Caribbean as officials, experts, ask why”. Reuters. Retrieved 9 September 2025. David Smilde, a Venezuela expert at Tulane University, said the military moves appeared to be an effort to pressure the Maduro government. ‘I think what they are trying to do is put maximum pressure, real military pressure, on the regime to see if they can get it to break … It’s gunboat diplomacy. It’s old-fashioned tactics’
^ ^a ^b ^c Lissardy, Gerardo; Wilson, Caitlin (4 September 2025). “What is Trump’s goal as US bombs ‘Venezuela drugs boat’ and deploys warships?”. BBC. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
^ “National Drug Control Strategy: Progress in the War on Drugs 1989-1992” (PDF). U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. 1993.
^ “Cheney Outlines Role of Military in Drug War: No Arrests, No Raids”. Los Angeles Times. 18 September 1989.
^ Wilson, George (19 September 1989). “Cheney pledges wider War on Drugs”. The Washington Post.
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2025 US Caribbean naval deployment: Difference between revisions

Background

Preliminary actions

Deployment

Forces

United States

Venezuela

Response

Analysis

See also

References

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Background

Preliminary actions

Deployment

Forces

United States

Venezuela

Response

Analysis

See also

References

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