U.S. Sending Fighter Jets to Puerto Rico as Tensions Rise With Venezuela
“This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with out counter narco-terror operations.”
President Donald Trump’s administration will send ten F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico as tensions rise with Venezuela due to America’s fight against drug cartels.
From The New York Post:
The F-35s — the military’s most advanced fighter jets in service — are due to arrive next week, a source close to the Trump administration said.
It wasn’t immediately clear what physical role the F-35s would play, but sending the highly advanced aircraft to the US territory will at least serve as a show of force to deter drug traffickers.
Designed to fight America’s fiercest adversaries with advanced stealth capabilities, the jets are even capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
Tensions have heightened between America and Venezuela after the U.S. deployed three Aegis guided-missile destroyers off the waters of Venezuela to support its counter-narcotics operation.
Venezuela countered with drones and warships to patrol along its Caribbean coast on September 1.
A day later, the military struck a suspected drug ship from Venezuela, killing 11 people.
President Donald Trump made the surprise announcement during an unrelated event in the Oval Office.
“As @potus just announced moments ago, today the U.S. military conducted a lethal strike in the southern Carribean [sic] against a drug vessel which had departed from Venezuela and was being operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X.
On September 3, while in Mexico, Rubio made no apologies for the strike and warned that America would do it again if it had to.
“These are not stockbrokers,” said Rubio, as reported by Fox News. “These are not real estate agents who, on the side, deal a few drugs. These are organized, corporate, structured organizations who specialize in the trafficking of deadly drugs into the United States of America. They pose an immediate threat to the United States. Period.”
Then two Venezuelan military aircraft flew over a U.S. Navy ship in international waters.
The Defense Department warned Venezuelan dictator President Nicolás Maduro not to interfere with the administration’s counter-narco-terror operations:
Today, two Maduro regime military aircraft flew near a U.S. Navy vessel in international waters. This highly provocative move was designed to interfere with out counter narco-terror operations. The cartel running Venezuela is strongly advised not to pursue any further effort to obstruct, deter or interfere with counter-narcotics and counter-terror operations carried out by the US military.
— Department of Defense 🇺🇸 (@DeptofDefense) September 5, 2025
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Comments
open up a box of a thousand drones or so to recon and scare the f out of them
Next time they send a fighter jet, shoot it down.
Maduro had to run to his handlers in Mexico last week. Maduro has allowed the mullahs to set up terrorist training camps in Venezuela too. FAFO time.
With the naval group off the coast of Venezuela those F-35s are more than likely not going to be needed. But there is no such thing as overkill.
The aircraft offer a whole range of options in how they may be used and of course ‘need’ is based on the operational requirements of the mission to include contingency missions. ‘On order be prepared to ….’ If nothing else their deployment serves as a disruption to the decision loop of the Venezuelan regime and their narcoterrorist allies who now have to build the operational capacity of these aircraft into their own planning.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with showing that the United States has the biggest stick.
On most parallel Earths in the multiverse Maduro would be an illegal alien driving a city bus in LA. In ours he somehow has become a socialist cartel supported head of state rapidly destroying what;s left of his country when not doing the bidding of either the cartels or his chinese patrons,
You know it’s coming: AOC is going to accuse Trump of invading Puerto Rico.
Wait until Trump deports her there.
Perhaps deport her to Uganda instead where she can hookup with Maryland man.
The only cruise DW and I ever took (early ’80s) stopped in Venezuela for a day. We took the arranged walking tour (“watch for pickpockets!”)
The cultural difference that struck us the most was the casual presence of military roaming the streets as police — boys barely shavers, full camo gear, “assault weapons,” giving everyone the eye as they passed. You could not turn a corner without at least two of these always being somewhere in your field of view.
Today, I’d only have to travel to DC to see the same thing… and for the same reasons.
Was in Africa too
price on the street will skyrocket, and more crime will result until some enterprising individual discovers a drug made from dead smoke detector batteries and Hellcat catalytic converters.
Yes
Americans are really to blame for the drug market, if we didn’t take the crap, they’d have no market
supply even on its own can create demand
so the market can already be there and then you hook the customer
the fact that some people///ALL people are not perfect is no reason to blame them as the suspects which is what you are doing
I wonder which variant of the F-35 they are going to send? Since Venezuela has F-16s (which I am sure are under maintained) the F-35A, the Air Force versions, is an appropriate counter weapon. The F-35B, the Marine Version, that can hoover would be good against the narcoterrorists’ boats; it could go real slow but out of rifle range to “excite” the boatmen and maybe even light them up if they shoot at the F-35.
They have some Russian SU-30 too.
hope the island does not tip over…..
Seems like a bit of a death wish screwing with American warships but what do I know?
I have a college classmate who came from a prominent and wealthy family. Because of that, if she went back to Venezuela Maduro would have her arrested. But she’s now a US citizen.
The F-35s are not there to deal with drug interdiction. If one wished to involve the military (more) in that role, patrol aircraft (P-8. P-3) would be used, as they can pick up and track surface traffic that the Coast Guard or Navy then could interdict.
No, the F-35s are there to send a very clear message to Mr. Maduro and his military. Whatever assets they have and have been able to maintain, the F-35 establishes clear air superiority and allows the rest of the Air Force and Navy Air to do as they wish.
Word on the street is the operation is being funded by InBev and Bacardi in an attempt to gain new addicts…er, customers.
Trump-hating Jeniffer Griffen at FNC has claimed Trump is going to war because of the F-35s. Venezuela has F-16 which have pretty good radars and have buzzed our Navy ships, but would be useless against the F-35s if they do it again. This is not war but a warning to Maduro to cool it.
This is a message to Maduro.
“Don’t mess with America’s boats.”
With the US/Mexico land border now controlled, the cartels are forced to use more exposed water routes. Now it is the Navy’s turn. I’ll bet DJT and SoS Rubio would not mind if Maduro does something stupid which requires a retaliation. Perhaps after the resulting chaos, Venezuela will again emerge as a prosperous Democracy.
Like when Noriega declared war on the USA? I saw that in the newspaper and thought “What is this idiot thinking? Does he think the US will just ignore it?!” And two days later he was gone.
Nice couple of F-16’s you got there, Nico … best keep them in the hangar if you want to keep them at all.