The United States has ordered the deployment of 10 F-35 stealth fighter jets to a military airfield in Puerto Rico, mounting a major escalation in its Caribbean counter-narcotics operations. The jets are set to arrive by late next week and will be used against designated “narco-terrorist” groups operating in the southern Caribbean, according to two anonymous officials familiar with the decision.
This deployment arrives amid a U.S. military buildup already in motion—seven warships, including a fast-attack nuclear submarine, along with over 4,500 sailors and Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit have been staging amphibious drills and aerial training in and around southern Puerto Rico. The Trump administration said the ramp-up responds directly to cartel threats traced back to Venezuela, particularly the Tren de Aragua gang, which the U.S. accuses of smuggling mass quantities of narcotics.
The deployment follows a lethal strike on September 2 against a small vessel in the southern Caribbean, which President Trump claimed was carrying “massive amounts of drugs.” Eleven people were killed in the strike, raising questions over the evidence and legal authority for such a lethal response. Critics argue that the strike deviated from standard seizure-and-arrest tactics, instead signaling a shift toward military-style engagements with criminal groups.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged that operations would continue, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed that anyone tied to narco-terrorism would face force. Yet legal analysts and human-rights experts are questioning the strike’s justification under both U.S. and international law, highlighting concerns around sovereignty, proportionality, and the authority to use lethal force on the high seas.
