U.S. Reactivates Puerto Rico Base as USS Gerald R. Ford Redeploys to Caribbean Amid Venezuela Tensions

CEIBA, Puerto Rico – Nov. 5, 2025: The U.S. military has reactivated the Cold War-era Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico and surged forces across the Caribbean, citing counter-narcotics operations as regional tensions with Venezuela climb. More than 10,000 U.S. personnel now operate under U.S. Southern Command, with the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group ordered to the theater in the largest U.S. military buildup in the region in decades.

Roosevelt Roads Reopens for Operations Near Venezuela

Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, shut since 2004, became operational again in September as F-35B stealth fighters, MV-22 Osprey aircraft, and CH-53K King Stallion helicopters began using its 11,000-foot runway. The sprawling 8,650-acre facility, now officially José Aponte de la Torre Airport, sits roughly 500 miles from Venezuela’s coast.

Open-source imagery showed activity ramping up mid-September, including construction crews repaving taxiways on Sept. 17. F-35s reportedly arrived Sept. 14; Reuters documented five F-35s parked on the former Navy ramp.

Local leaders are weighing the strategic and economic implications. Puerto Rican state Sens. Nitza Morán Trinidad and Carmelo Ríos Santiago introduced Senate Resolution 286 in September to study repurposing the site for national security. Morán Trinidad said, “For decades, Roosevelt Roads represented an economic engine for the eastern region of the island,” according to the San Juan Daily Star. “Today, we have a responsibility to seriously and strategically consider the possibility of its facilities once again playing a key role – not only in the defense of the Caribbean and the Americas but also in the economic revitalization of Ceiba and the surrounding municipalities.”

USS Gerald R. Ford Heads to USSOUTHCOM

On Oct. 24, the Pentagon said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford and its carrier strike group to redeploy from the Mediterranean to U.S. Southern Command. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said: “The enhanced U.S. force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster U.S. capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere.”

The Ford, commissioned in 2017, is the world’s largest active warship at over 100,000 tons displacement, with a crew of about 4,600 and nine embarked air squadrons. It was in port in Split, Croatia, when the order arrived. Two destroyers from its strike group – USS Forrest Sherman and USS Mitscher – were operating in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea and may not join the Caribbean deployment.

The carrier will integrate with the USS Iwo Jima Amphibious Readiness Group and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, which have operated in the Caribbean since late August and include more than 4,500 Marines and sailors.

U.S. Strikes on Suspected Drug Boats Kill Dozens

Since early September, U.S. forces have struck at least 11 vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, resulting in more than 50 deaths, operations the administration characterizes as targeting drug traffickers. The deadliest day came Oct. 28, when 14 people were killed across four vessels in coordinated actions in the Eastern Pacific; another strike on Nov. 2 killed six off Venezuela’s coast.

On Oct. 1, President Donald Trump notified Congress the U.S. is in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels, leading to diplomatic pushback from Venezuela and Colombia. Colombian President Gustavo Petro said one victim was a fisherman named Alejandro Carranza. Trump responded by calling Petro an “illegal drug leader” and suspended counter-narcotics funding to Colombia.

Regional Exercises and Diplomatic Fallout

The guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely docked in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, Oct. 26-30, for joint drills with local forces less than seven miles from Venezuela’s coast. U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz said the exercises aimed to “address shared threats like transnational crime and build resilience through training, humanitarian missions, and security efforts.”

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar publicly backed the U.S. military presence and the strikes on suspected drug boats, diverging from CARICOM’s call for diplomatic dialogue. Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry condemned the activity as a “serious threat” to Caribbean peace and a “hostile provocation” toward Venezuela.

Venezuela Mobilizes Forces; External Backing Sought

President Nicolás Maduro declared a state of external emergency on Sept. 30 as the U.S. presence expanded. Venezuela has kept its military on heightened alert, with its air force showcasing Su-30MK2 fighters armed with Russian-made Kh-31 anti-ship missiles. The Washington Post reported Oct. 26 that Maduro requested assistance from Russia, China, and Iran for defensive radars, aircraft repairs, and potentially missiles.

Thousands of Venezuelan troops and militia have conducted urban training in Caracas and manned coastal defenses, according to state media. The Venezuelan Army fields more than 100,000 regular troops, with additional militia in the Bolivarian Militia, and operates Russian-made aircraft such as the Su-30 with modern anti-ship weapons.

Separately, Adm. Alvin Holsey announced his retirement in October after a year as the commander of U.S. Southern Command, amid reported internal tensions over the legal basis for the boat strikes.

Scope of the Caribbean Military Buildup

U.S. forces deployed across the region encompass over 10,000 personnel and a naval component equating to roughly 14% of the Navy’s global combat fleet. The package includes eight warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, F-35 fighter squadrons, MQ-9 Reaper drones, P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, and specialized reconnaissance platforms. The arrival of the Ford will add nearly 4,500 sailors and nine carrier air squadrons.

• Reactivated hub: Roosevelt Roads providing logistics and runway access near Venezuela.
• Carrier redeployment: USS Gerald R. Ford shifting from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean.
• Ongoing operations: At least 11 interdictions and strikes since early September.
• Regional drills: U.S.-Trinidad and Tobago exercises and expanded maritime patrols.

Policy Signals and Next Moves

Trump confirmed on Oct. 15 that he authorized CIA covert operations inside Venezuela, and said on Oct. 22 he planned to order strikes on land targets before later saying he is not considering such actions and does not believe the U.S. will go to war with Venezuela. The Wall Street Journal reported Oct. 30 that U.S. officials had identified possible land targets, including ports and airstrips allegedly used by the Venezuelan military for drug trafficking.

Conclusion: Watching for Carrier Arrival and Diplomatic Outcomes

The U.S. military presence in the Caribbean continues to expand as the Ford strike group moves toward the region and operations against suspected drug-trafficking vessels persist. With Venezuela on high alert and diplomatic tensions rising across the hemisphere, the coming weeks will determine whether the mission remains focused on counter-narcotics or evolves amid the broader standoff with Caracas.