U.S. Navy Expands Military Deployment Near Venezuela with F-35s and Intelligence Aircraft.

The United States has expanded its military presence near Venezuela, deploying F-35A fighters, intelligence aircraft, and electronic warfare platforms across the Caribbean. The move signals a sharp escalation in sanctions enforcement and maritime pressure as Washington tightens control over the region’s air and sea approaches.

On 23 December 2025, open-source intelligence platforms on X reported a new wave of U.S. strike and support aircraft deploying into the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility as Washington tightens its maritime blockade around Venezuela. According to these OSINT visuals, 14 F-35A Lightning II fighters from the Vermont Air National Guard, a detachment of the 921st Contingency Response Squadron at Las Américas International Airport in the Dominican Republic, and additional U-28A Draco, EC-130H Compass Call and MC-130J Commando II aircraft are now part of the build-up. 
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U.S. forces have expanded their Caribbean presence near Venezuela with ISR-heavy deployments that include U-28A Draco surveillance aircraft, EC-130H Compass Call electronic warfare platforms, and fighter activity involving F-5s alongside more advanced assets (Picture Source: U.S. Air Force / Ricardo Arduengo / Google Earth)

These movements come on top of the already unprecedented concentration of U.S. forces in the Caribbean assembled under Operation Southern Spear, officially presented as a counter-narcotics and sanctions-enforcement mission but widely interpreted as a coercive instrument in the Venezuelan crisis. According to Army Recognition Group, the operation has already deployed a record number of F-35s and rare EC-130H electronic warfare aircraft to Puerto Rico, indicating a deliberate push to shape the physical and electromagnetic battlespace around northern South America.

The OSINT map underpinning the latest tweet offers a snapshot of the force already in place before this new increment. In the maritime domain, the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group operates in the Caribbean Sea with its air wing of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, E-2D airborne early warning aircraft, EA-18G Growler electronic attack jets and supporting helicopters, while the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group carries the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit with several thousand Marines, vehicles and rotary-wing assets able to project power ashore. Around them, multiple guided-missile cruisers and destroyers and at least one attack submarine provide hundreds of vertical launch cells capable of firing Tomahawk land-attack missiles and advanced air-defence interceptors. The same graphic highlights a “bomber strike package” of B-1B, B-2 and B-52H aircraft cycling from the continental United States into the theatre, a posture that has already translated into highly publicised “bomber attack demonstrations” conducted close to Venezuelan airspace in November.

Forward airfields in Puerto Rico play a central role in this architecture. As Army Recognition previously reported, roughly 20 F-35s,  a mix of U.S. Air Force F-35As and U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs,  are now based at the reactivated Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, representing the largest known concentration of fifth-generation fighters ever deployed on the island. The latest OSINT update specifies that 14 of these aircraft belong to the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing, the “Green Mountain Boys”, whose F-35A variant combines stealth, sensor fusion and a combat radius sufficient to reach deep into Venezuelan territory from Puerto Rican bases. These jets augment the F-35B detachment already present and effectively turn Roosevelt Roads into a high-end strike hub from which the United States can conduct air superiority, suppression of enemy air defences and maritime interdiction missions while remaining within a relatively secure operating environment. From the perspective of Caracas, this compresses warning times and places strategic infrastructure, from air bases and coastal radar sites to command centres, under persistent threat.

The introduction of the 921st Contingency Response Squadron at Santo Domingo’s Las Américas International Airport adds a different but equally important layer. The “Dragons” specialise in opening, operating and closing airbases in austere or non-traditional locations, providing the command-and-control, security, logistics and airfield services needed to turn a civilian airport into a functioning military hub within days. Recent reporting from Dominican outlets and U.S. military sources indicates that the unit has established a provisional air base on runway 17-35, enabling sustained operations of C-17 Globemaster III transports and other mobility aircraft in support of SOUTHCOM’s missions. In the context depicted by the OSINT map, this turns the Dominican Republic into a logistics and staging node linking mainland U.S. bases, Puerto Rico and the maritime task force, facilitating both the rapid flow of reinforcements and the distribution of supplies for any prolonged blockade or contingency.

Alongside the fighters and mobility specialists, the deployment of specialised Air Force Special Operations Command aircraft further deepens the operational toolbox available to planners. The U-28A Draco, derived from the Pilatus PC-12, is a small, tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform used to provide real-time full-motion video, signals intelligence and targeting support to ground and maritime forces, often from austere airstrips. The MC-130J Commando II, a heavily modified C-130 variant, is designed for clandestine infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of special operations forces, as well as low-level air-to-air refuelling of helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft, typically under cover of darkness and at low altitude to minimise detection. Stationing such aircraft in and around Puerto Rico and potentially other Caribbean locations gives SOUTHCOM the option to move special operations teams across the region, conduct precision resupply to maritime or land units, and support covert surveillance of Venezuelan and third-party activities without relying solely on large, visible platforms.

A particularly striking element of the new package is the EC-130H Compass Call, whose arrival in Puerto Rico Army Recognition was highlighted as a clear indicator of expanding U.S. electronic warfare posture toward Venezuela. Built on the C-130 airframe but dedicated to electronic attack, the EC-130H carries a large mission crew and a dense array of antennas and transmitters used to disrupt adversary communications, data links and certain radar systems over wide areas. Only a small number of these aircraft remain in service as the mission transitions to the next-generation EA-37B, making any forward deployment highly visible to specialists. In the Caribbean setting, a Compass Call orbiting in international airspace can monitor and, if ordered, interfere with Venezuelan military and government communications, maritime traffic control networks and the command links of any forces attempting to challenge the blockade or coordinate responses with external partners such as Russia. When integrated with the F-35s, naval assets and other ISR platforms mapped in the OSINT graphic, the EC-130H effectively knits together a joint kill-web that extends from the electromagnetic spectrum to physical strikes.

The strategic message of this combined build-up extends well beyond the seizure of individual “dark fleet” oil tankers highlighted on the same infographic. U.S. authorities frame the current campaign as a response to narcotics trafficking and sanctions-violating oil shipments, but the density and sophistication of the forces assembled under Operation Southern Spear now provide Washington with a menu of options ranging from continued maritime interdiction to limited strikes on Venezuelan military infrastructure.

The presence of carrier-based aviation, long-range bombers, fifth-generation fighters, amphibious Marines, special operations aircraft and high-end electronic warfare platforms in a relatively confined theatre also serves as a demonstration to external actors, including Russia, China and Iran, that attempts to use Venezuela as a proxy or strategic foothold in the Caribbean will meet a layered U.S. response. At the same time, Latin American governments are watching with concern as the line between counter-narcotics enforcement and preparations for coercive military action becomes increasingly blurred.

The arrival of additional F-35As, the deployment of the 921st Contingency Response Squadron and the forward positioning of U-28A, MC-130J and EC-130H aircraft show that the U.S. presence in SOUTHCOM has moved from a largely maritime show of force to a mature, multi-domain strike and support complex designed to be sustained over time. The emerging posture gives Washington the ability to enforce a blockade, monitor and pressure Venezuelan forces, and, if political decisions in the White House change, transition rapidly to high-tempo air and special operations deep into Venezuelan territory. For regional actors, the message is that the Caribbean is no longer just the theatre of a naval deployment but an integrated air, sea, land and electromagnetic battlespace in which the United States has deliberately assembled overwhelming qualitative advantages, raising both the deterrent effect on Caracas and the risks of miscalculation in an already volatile crisis.