Washington– The US Army has amassed an unusually large number Power in the Caribbean The waters have been off the coast of Venezuela since this summer, when the Trump administration first began transferring assets to the region as part of anti-drug trafficking operations.
In all, US Southern Command says there are about 15,000 troops operating in the region, the largest military buildup in the region in generations.
It is part of the Trump administration’s escalating pressure campaign on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who has been charged with drug-related terrorism in the United States, and includes a series of strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats that have killed more than 100 people since early September.
Here’s a look at Ships, aircraft and troops in the area:
The Navy has 11 warships in the region — the nation’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, as well as Five destroyersThree amphibious assault ships and two cruisers.
The three amphibious assault ships form an amphibious readiness group and carry a Marine expeditionary unit. As a result, these ships also have a variety of marine helicopters on board, Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft Harrier aircraft have the ability to transport large numbers of Marines or strike targets on land and sea.
The USS Ford has multiple squadrons of fighter aircraft as well as other aircraft and helicopters.
While officials did not provide specific numbers, destroyers and cruisers are typically deployed with a missile payload containing missiles. Tomahawk cruise missilesWhich can reach hundreds of miles from its starting point.
A US Navy submarine also operates in the wider South American region and is capable of carrying and launching cruise missiles.
A squadron of US Marine Corps advanced F-35B Lightning II aircraft was present She was sent to an airstrip in Puerto Rico. The planes were first spotted landing on the island in mid-September.
More recently, US Navy EA-18G “Growler” electronic warfare aircraft were photographed flying out of Puerto Rico.
Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones, capable of flying long distances and carrying up to eight laser-guided missiles, were also spotted operating out of Puerto Rico by commercial satellites and military observers, as well as photojournalists, around the same time in September.
It has been widely reported that the Navy also operates a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft out of the area.
In October, the Army released a photo of a US Air Force AC-130J Ghostrider, a heavily armed aircraft capable of accurately firing its big guns at ground targets, sitting on an airport tarmac in Puerto Rico.
There were several other military aircraft temporarily flying through the area as part of military operations there.
The US Air Force has repeatedly flown B-52 Stratofortress and B-1 Lancer bombers To the region, what the Pentagon said were training flights. However, at least one such flight has been named ‘Suicide attack shown’ in photos online.
Recently, the US military also flew two F/A-18s Fighter planes over the Gulf of Venezuela It appears to be the closest American warplanes to the South American country’s airspace since the campaign began.
The gulf borders Venezuela and is only about 150 miles (240 kilometers) wide at its widest point. The planes spent more than 30 minutes flying in the area.
In all, there are about 15,000 personnel in the area, including approximately 10,000 sailors and Marines aboard warships. US Southern Command declined to provide any official details on the total number, citing operational security.
The total number “includes all military services and government civilians who support this mission,” Lt. Col. Emmanuel Ortiz, a spokesman for Southern Command, said in an email.
The Pentagon has not provided specific numbers on how many drones, aircraft or ground crew are in the region, so its impact on that broader number is unknown.